


Vivid

by say_im_good



Series: ViViD [2]
Category: B.A.P
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Chaptered, Fantasy, M/M, Slow Burn, Supernatural - Freeform, Vampires, banghim, bap - Freeform, daejae - Freeform, hashtag pretty intense, jaehwan from vixx is a bad guy sorry, jonglo - Freeform, kpop, maybe like a little too much?, vampirehunterau, youngjae has magic powers that everyone likes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-18
Updated: 2019-01-12
Packaged: 2019-02-03 18:50:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 38
Words: 164,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12754107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/say_im_good/pseuds/say_im_good
Summary: Two years after bloodthirsty, athropoid creatures raided the modern streets of Seoul, society has completely changed. The rise of the moon brings fear, and murders on television are dilluted by the countless strewn bodies found every morning by sunrise. Resembling the creatures of folklore, these terrors were named 'Vampires,' and the government created the V.E.D for the sole purpose of studying, capturing, and irradicating the species that had overnight become predators to the humans who had never been prey. Within the V.E.D are countless hunters, magica, healers, scientists, and technicians who work tirelessly towards this goal, whether for the fame or to ease the grief the vampires had caused them. Three hunters stand out amongst the rest, dedicated and powerful, terrors to the vampires that terrorized humanity. Bang Yongguk, Yoo Youngjae, Moon Jongup. These three had their names on pedestals as the hunters who could fell any vampire. At least, until they accidentally anger the wrong coven.





	1. Prologue: The Interview

It was a cloudy day. Days like this were common, of course, given that it was April and spring showers never hesitated in their celebration. It had already rained that morning, and the morning before, and the night before that. The steel coating the towering fence that ran around the building shimmered in the moonlight, shivering droplets skating between the wires. The gutters that ran from the flat roof gushed what had gathered above onto the concrete below, and the journalist groaned as he felt the residue of a misleiden puddle soaking through his shoes. Trying to find an optimistic take on things, the man doubted that the VED would worry too much over the squelch of his wet socks or the damp footprints he’d leave on their floors upon entering. They’d surely had far worse than water staining them.

The door was heavy, so heavy that he had to give an extra push to be sure it wasn’t locked, and it was silent as it swung open. His dress shoes squeaked on the tile and he flinched as if he had any reason to be quiet as well. It was presumably force of habit; Humans often mimicked the actions of those surrounding, and currently his surroundings were so quiet that he could hear his own breath. The floors and the walls were tinted manila, less like they were designed to be this way and moreso appearing to just be old, or stained, beyond return to their original white. A long hallway extended to his left, an exit sign with a flickering ‘x’ alone at the far end. Directly in front of him was a long counter, made of what looked like, and likely was, thick steel. Behind it sat a young lady with eyes as cold as the counter, and she was already looking his way by the time his gaze lingered over her face.

“Name, please?” She asked, her voice softer than he’d expect, with how her expression was that of cool stone and her posture stiff and proper. “Kim Seokjin,” he replied curtly, watching dainty hands fly across the keys of a computer. She paused, reading off of the screen, her eyes flicking back like a typewriter to confirm what she’d read, eyebrows knitting together tightly and lips parting. As if he could see what was on the screen facing away from him, Kim Seokjin swallowed down the tightness that had suddenly appeared in his throat and promised, “We did have this appointment set before Agent Moon's recent incident and, despite current suspicions, the head director gave me permission to still partake in the interview. I can call him if you’d like.” It was obvious that he wouldn’t have to, the woman seemed to already know this, eyes slowly fading as she no longer seemed to be reading the words her vision was cast upon. She seemed more human than steel like this, lost in thought, but that ceased quickly. 

“He is in room seventy-nine, down the hall to the right of the entrance and up the left flight of stairs. I doubt you’ll mind, but currently he’s being visited by Agent Yoo Youngjae. Hopefully this doesn’t interrupt your interview. I would’ve told Agent Yoo to come later, but I assumed with reason that the director would’ve cancelled all media attention given the controversy.” Seokjin nodded understandingly, glancing back towards the hall he’d looked down upon entering. “No need to worry. I did intend to interview them all, the infamous Matoki. Well, at least until this mess came about. I hardly expected to see any of them in one room again, so I let that dream fade.” The woman hummed, clicking a few times on whatever was on her screen before bringing her hand up to rest her chin on her palm. She looked young, her skin was smooth and her cold eyes had softened as Seokjin drifted the conversation farther from professionalism. He figured she’d aged well, given the circumstances.

“Yes, well, Agent Yoo came without notice. Perhaps that’ll make your interview easier, or more difficult. Perhaps if he's in the right mood, he could talk for Agent Moon. I expect it to be complicated, after all, interviewing a man who can’t speak.” Charcoal eyes flicked to his face, eyebrows creasing as if posing a question. Seokjin decided to leave it an open-ended one and nodded, bursting one of the brighter sides of his smile before taking a step back. “Don’t forget that you yourself were once a woman who couldn’t speak.” The girl glanced down quickly, puffing out her bottom lip. He once would tell her that if she kept pouting a bird might come land on her lip, at least when she was a child. He doubted she would remember nor appreciate the comment now though. “I was a girl who wouldn’t speak. Wouldn’t and couldn’t are very different.” Seokjin nodded, feeling the urge to drift more information from her as a natural side effect to being a journalist before realizing that the further from his scheduled interview time that he got, the more likely it would be that Moon Jongup would assume he wasn’t coming. “Thank you for your assistance, Tzuyu. I’ll be going now.” She coughed, blinking up in surprise, but by the time the receptionist had comprehended that he knew her name with no label to reveal it, he was only a trenchcoat flowing down a long hallway. 

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Taking primary presence in the center of the room, fingernails clicking against the thick steel of the table, a man stared idly at the closed door. His dark jacket was tight around his arms, sleeves running down the waves of built muscle to rest at long fingers that continued to tap in a repetitive, simplistic melody. On his left hand was a long scar, long faded, from the first knuckle of his thumb to the curve of his wrist. Once his eyes finally dripped from the door, they came to focus on this scar. Youngjae’s voice had always been soft in pitch, but he wasn’t comfortable with how it trembled a little on the edges of words too intense for a surprise visit such as this. Jongup had long decided that didn’t want to discuss why he was temporarily banned from leaving the VED. He didn’t want to discuss Yongguk, he definitely didn’t want to discuss Zelo, which was surely what Youngjae had come to do. The elder knew this, having lived with Jongup far long enough to be able to read his body language and expressions. But Youngjae was never a listener, far prefering to be a speaker insead, and Jongup rarely had a choice in settling as the former. 

“What are we supposed to do if they won’t even let you out of this damn building? I tried to go back there on my own, but I couldn’t bring myself to…” he trailed off, and Jongup didn’t have to look at him to know that he had swallowed in that brief pause, had paced to the other side of the room like he’d been doing for the past thirty minutes, back and forth to the rhythm of Jongup's tapping. “In the end, we may not have a choice in taking up Zelo’s offer. I know you hate it, and I hate it too, but in the end, we…” Jongup was grateful for the loud knock that interrupted a suddenly startled Youngjae. The elder sighed, obviously not nearly as pleased with the distraction, marching to the door and flinging it open. “What-”

A man in a trenchcoat stood behind the frame, and though he could only see the back of Youngjae’s head, Jongup could almost feel catlike eyes narrow. “Can I help you?” Very few people had the guts to chuckle right in Youngjae’s face, even fewer who knew what the young man was capable of, and Jongup smiled wearily as the journalist did just that in spite of this. “Possibly yes, though I did originally come to meet with Jongup. My name is Kim Seokjin. I’m sure you’ve heard of me.” 

Youngjae’s scoff was an answer of its own, and Jongup only shrugged when his teammate whipped around to shoot him an accusing glare. “This guy is all fake news and drama,” he grumbled. “You shouldn’t speak with him, he’s just going to make things worse.” Jongup wished that he could tell Youngjae that he wouldn’t be doing any speaking at all, but he’d long moved past grieving lost words. Seokjin stepped into the room right as Youngjae shoved out of it, and the journalist almost seemed amused at the infamous behavior of the VED’s most prominent magica. “I had hoped he’d sit through at least a few minutes of the interview, but I honestly hadn’t expected it.” Jongup chuckled, a silent breath, before leaning down to poke at a tablet resting on the steel table until words were formed into sentences. 

‘I told you already that he’s difficult. It doesn’t help that this situation has him in a worse mood.’ Seokjin nodded, humming sympathetically and compiling his words as Jongup pulled the tablet back to erase what the other had already read. Tzuyu had assumed that it would be more difficult to interview someone who couldn’t speak. Seokjin almost found it easier, Jongup’s typing giving him plenty of time to think up how to phrase questions and remember important details. In the time it was taking for Jongup to skitter his fingers across the electronic keys, Seokjin leaned back in his chair loosely. “Agent Yoo was wearing a rather thick scarf just now, and given your occupation, I doubt it was because of the cold.” Jongup’s fingers hesitated above the tablet before they started flying over the screen, erasing what he was writing before and replacing the words. 

‘He’s struggled a lot lately, we all have. Let him live.’ 

“Ah, yes! I apologize. That was rather insensitive of me,” Seokjin grovelled, and Jongup simply nodded, his face carefully blank as it so often was. “On another note, it’s been quite a while since I last saw you. I’d love to skip into asking how you’ve been recently, but it seems to me like this interview will cover that in due time.” Jongup nodded, and stilled fingers began to patter against the table in a simple rhythm. “It’s probably difficult, the idea of having to type your entire story, but I appreciate your cooperation. Perhaps I can help clear your name as well, given the circumstances. Not many know the story of a man who can’t speak. It's probably difficult to defend yourself.” Another nod, slow and halfhearted, as if Jongup was growing tired of the conversation given the direction it was going. Seokjin gathered his documents, carefully aligned papers entailing the trio he was so fascinated with. As he did this, Jongup had begun typing again, dedicated and rapid. By the time Seokjin had the papers laid out in a specific, organized manner on the table, Jongup was sliding the tablet back across.

‘I’ll begin with the night of the Red Moon Massacre. Maybe a little before that, when I met Yongguk. Youngjae came a bit later, and so much has happened since. My childhood, Yongguk’s and Youngjae’s lives from what I know of them, our initiation into the VED, our fights, our current, completely hopeless situation, I can go into it all. Please expect to be here until morning.’ Seokjin this time only nodded, preparing himself to listen to the words on the enlarged screen rather than to the run of the AC or the steady tapping of fingers on steel. “I’m ready when you are,” he finally announced, and Jongup leaned forward in his seat, his response returned in seconds.

‘I’ll start with the morning of the massacre.’


	2. Prologue: The Red Moon Massacre

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The bell on the clock tower that usually struck midnight echoed ominously through the streets, muting Yongguk’s cries. His hands were crusted with blood, the young boy in his arms was limp and heavy, and each one of the twelve chimes was an omen. His breath clouded like smoke in front of him as he ran, running less from what he couldn’t comprehend and more from the image that had hit him like a bullet dead between the eyes. Minho’s cold hand, his porcelain skin, the two deep punctures in his neck. He gagged thickly in the stagnant air, and if it hadn’t been for the unconscious teen light in his arms, he would’ve stopped to break down on these streets, regardless of the malicious, otherworldly shadows that seemed to dance in evil celebration on the Sunday morning before Christmas.

Of all the days Yongguk wanted to remember for the rest of his life, the Saturday before Christmas was among the top. When he awoke, the house was empty and quiet. Silence of this sort was rare, and he took full advantage of as he made himself a halfhearted breakfast and teased Jonghyun over text until he’d gained the motivation to go put some pants on. 

It was snowing, which had in recent days gradually faded from being an exciting event to an inconvenient one. It had been snowing yesterday too, and the day before that. The remaining grey mush was piling up on the streets, and Yongguk didn’t look forward to having to fix the sodden roof that was probably already giving a little under the weight of what had already fallen.

 

As he mussed up his bedhead to resemble some form of style, his phone buzzed again and he dropped the bottle of gel to the counter immediately, lifting the device carefully as to not smear product over the screen, a grin breaking over his face as he scanned the bolded words. ‘I fucking swear if you’re taking so long just fixing your hair I’m going to march over there and drag you out myself.’ He and Minho had messed around in high school in an unplanned, yet convenient way to get off without having to reveal to the world that the two toughest kids in class were gay. When Minho had actually asked him out the week before graduation, Yongguk had been very inclined to tell him to fuck off. They were both hard headed, they were both blunt, and neither had an affinity for the cute, innocent things involved with being a couple. But they gave it a try, and two years later, they hadn’t yet had a fight that would convince them that the relationship wasn’t worth keeping.

 

‘Guilty,’ he texted back, leaning into the mirror to smooth his hair up just a bit more before capping the gel and wiping his hands halfheartedly on the shitty, bargain curtains dangling over the dresser. Minho was typing again, and Yongguk grabbed his shoes as he waited for a response. He would never admit to it lest his boyfriend call him a ‘sentimental pussy’ like he so often did, but Yongguk felt almost giddy anytime Minho would invite him over. His home was always well lit and warm, his family accepted that they were a couple, and the harsh eyes that would so often seem to linger like chains when they were too close in public were crushed in those moments. Minho’s parents had downright said that Yongguk was close enough to adopted, they were kind and understanding, his little brother wasn’t a fucking terror like the brother Yongguk’s own age was; Being with Minho, or with Minho’s family, Yongguk almost felt like life was a pretty okay thing.

 

‘I’m on my way now, you fucking criminal. You’ll hear the sirens when I pull up.” Yongguk snorted, dropping his phone in the pocket of his overcoat before deciding to just wait outside anyway. Just because no one was home didn’t mean that it would stay that way for long, and he’d much prefer not having his so-far pleasant day soiled by shitty vibes. He wrapped his scarf in layers around his neck before stepping out into the frigid streets, dodging cracks in the sidewalk until, albeit without promised sirens, Minho’s truck pulled up.

 

They didn’t do much while he was over there. It was far too cold to fuck and it wasn’t like they would with Jongup in the next room over. The kid was fifteen, Yongguk had no idea how he was still sheltered from the concept of sex. But Minho was stern in defense of his brother, and Yongguk found the overprotection cute enough to let it slide. Mostly, as snow sprinkled steadily down outside, they huddled under a blanket and watched shitty youtube videos that Minho thought were funny. His mother had brought them up some spiced apple cider, and Yongguk found himself realizing just how comfortable he was in this moment. Minho was warm at his side, head resting on Yongguk’s shoulder so naturally, they were accepted here. It, in the end, wasn’t so extraordinary a day. But Yongguk decided as his snoring boyfriend drooled a little into the fabric of his jacket that he probably felt better in this moment than he would feel in a long time. He didn’t yet know how true this realization would be.

 

The sun hung low in the sky, and he had no idea how Minho's mother was such a good cook as the family (including Yongguk) sat at a long wooden table and chattered. His father had gotten a promotion, so to celebrate she prepared an extra intensive dinner. The fireplace flickered and crackled, illuminating the cozy room with warmth, and the outside world was but a myth in this moment until Yongguk’s phone began to buzz furiously in his pocket. Like a bolder, his heart dropped, and he politely excused himself despite knowing that the family wouldn’t mind it at all if he just got up and walked off. Jongup wished him luck in regards to the call he was about to take, eyes so honest and pure, and Yongguk tried to use that innocent kindness as an anchor on the irritation already flowing through him.

 

“What?” He no longer bothered to answer with hello’s or a kind tone. The call would tumble into yelling either way so there was really no point. “Where are you?” His older sister huffed, and he could tell that she was pacing the living room right now. “Literally nothing got done and Yongnam isn’t fucking home either. You know dad is going to throw a fucking tantrum when he gets home, are you just gonna leave that to me to deal with by myself?” Deciding like he usually did that yelling in such a peaceful home would be on level with cursing in a church, he stepped outside, the cold hitting him like a brick in comparison to the warmth of the fireplace. “If you don’t want to deal with it just leave. It’s not my problem,” he grumbled. As she began to argue, he lowered his phone to text Minho that he was going to go on a short walk to cool down and that he’d come back soon before heading down the street.

 

Natasha was still rambling by the time he’d sent the text and raised the phone back to his ear, and he finally snarled, “If you have paperwork or whatever the fuck you just said, just do it at a cafe! It’s not my problem that you want to sit around that fucking hell house and wait for him to get home! Call Yongnam if you give enough of a shit about it, Dad’s not my problem and neither is your whining.” Pressing the ‘end call’ button with probably far more force than his tiny screen deserved, he shoved his phone back into his pocket and marched down familiar sidewalks until his rampage slowed into a halfhearted stride and the moon hung orange up above. He’d probably head back soon. It was only getting colder and he always felt guilty when he had to leave for things like this. But as he approached the main road that sectioned off into Minho’s neighborhood, something was off.

 

It was to be expected that the shopping center just past the crosswalk he was at would be crowded so close to Christmas, but somehow the sight of families and couples flowing to and fro had him slowing to a stop, as if he had been able to sense that something was amiss. Perhaps it was the ominously large, reddening moon cast above, as if an omen bearing down. Perhaps it had been the way that night the sky in comparison seemed darker than usual, and the street lamps appeared to struggle under the pressure of the shadows that lingered in. Perhaps, as Yongguk remembered back to the scene in recurring nightmares, he had subconsciously noticed that some of these people seemed to walk too smoothly, or give off a different aura than the others. But for the reason of whatever had caught his eye, he was watching when the creatures hiding amongst the humans decided to attack.

 

A woman’s scream echoed loudly down the street, dominating the chatter that surrounded her, and Yongguk could pinpoint where she was in the cluster of people from the sound. A man’s cry followed, shocked and confused, and it only took seconds before the soft, excited Christmas shopping of the neighborhood’s residents fell into absolute chaos. His heart had raced, eyes still locked on the one body he could see past shuffling feet that were scattering in all directions away from the shopping center, the crimson that oozed so quickly from a throat that was gaping open. He’d only seen things like this in horror movies, and he temporarily wondered if this were a nightmare of sorts. The doors to the various stores were flying open and people yelled in fear of what they didn’t know, running from an invisible threat as the men and women and children around them began to drop, one by one. Yongguk caught a flicker, then another, like the shadows were swarming, and somehow the impossible idea of demons was what convinced him to run.

 

He didn’t realize that he was barrelling further from Minho’s house, far too distracted by his memory flashing back to what he had seen, the shadows themselves flickering from person to person, tearing their throats open, leaving them for dead, and only once he had gathered his wits again did he decide to retreat back to his own home for safety from whatever the hell that had been. Surely his eyes had been deceiving him, or maybe it had been an elaborate prank to scare the shoppers. He didn’t believe it, he couldn’t. There was no faking the blankness of that woman’s eyes, or the way dark blood guzzled from the gaping, disgusting hole in her neck. 

He spent the remaining night hiding, shivering in his bedroom with his hunting knife held so tight between his numb fingers that the rubber grip was breaking skin. The thought appeared that he should warn Minho, but his mind quickly shuffled it out, replacing it like torture with the black, bloody mess of the woman in the shopping center, the shadows that flickered from person to person, each victim dropping to the ground with a scream.

 

He didn’t realize he was falling asleep until he was awoken suddenly by his phone buzzing. The noise was familiar, comforting, but the memories were far more powerful. Seeing Minho’s name on the screen, Yongguk sighed in relief. “You’re okay,” he breathed, sitting up quickly and slowly, as if risking something by doing it, lowering his tightly held knife to the ground beside him. He knew it hadn’t been a nightmare; He was still wearing his coat, his knife was out, and surely Minho was calling right now to see where the hell he went. But if Minho was calling at all, then it was okay.

 

But something felt wrong about how long of a pause there had been between Yongguk speaking and Minho replying. “Min? Are you there?” his voice stuttered, and his boyfriend could make fun of him for it when such a dire situation wasn’t happening. Maybe Yongguk had just gone crazy and misinterpreted what he saw. Maybe nothing was wrong at all. 

“Min. Minho.” There was a quiet noise, something between a sob and a gag, and Yongguk felt a stone drop into his gut with unease. “If you’re okay, answer me.” Silence. Yongguk was up in seconds, grabbing his knife and shoving it into his pocket, taking the stairs three at a time as he burst out the front door. The black sky had, in his sleep, begun to fade towards dawn, and the streets of the neighborhood were entirely void of the work traffic noise that usually echoed from the highway.

 

“Minho! I fucking swear if this is a prank I’m going to kill you,” Yongguk gasped as he sprinted through intersections towards the other’s house. “This isn’t okay, it’s not fucking okay!” As if being angry would do any good, as if it would force the other to say ‘I’m sorry, I was joking.’ But Minho still hadn’t said anything, despite how the line hadn’t yet gone dead. The shadows in the lot, the dead woman’s gaping throat, it all flashed like a switch, and Yongguk didn’t feel the need to breathe or rest until he could see the green suburban parked in Minho’s driveway. ‘Please be okay, please fucking be okay. This better be a fucking joke, I swear it.’

 

The door was cracked open already, and something in the back of Yongguk’s head told him he was being careless just rushing in but he ignored it. The family room’s lights were still on, and the cake Minho’s mother had made was covered by a decorative glass lid on the dining table. If not for the smell, Yongguk would’ve assumed that things were okay, that he himself had left the front door cracked carelessly, or Minho had while searching for him. He would’ve assumed that the family was just asleep, reasonably so at five-thirty in the morning on a Sunday. 

But the smell.

Yongguk had been punched in the nose before, and somehow yet the scent of blood in the house was far more potent, thick and overwhelming on his already heaving stomach. He didn’t have to search far for the source. On the floor of the kitchen, Minho’s mother was sprawled out in an unsightly fashion, her hair thick over her face and her apron stained red. Yongguk felt his throat knot at the image, dropping to his knees beside her. He shook her once, twice. Her skin was cold, like touching the sidewalk outside. He felt sick. 

“Maam…? Maam, it’s Yongguk. Wake up.” A tear slipped down his cheek, this wasn’t possible, it couldn’t be possible. It took more courage than he had to brush her hair out of her face, and when he did he fell back, a silent scream tight on his lips. The sobs fell out on their own, body trembling, as stale, dead eyes peered straight forward, as if harshly focused on the room behind him. Her throat, the skin around it, was punctured deeply, as if a beast of some sort had come in and eaten at her flesh. Her skin was white, like a ghost, and she was unmistakably dead. 

The phone slipped from his fingers as he cried, unable to think let alone remember that Jonghyun was supposedly on the other line, not after this. This woman had been his mother when his own had been absent. She was the one who’d held him, telling him it was alright to like boys, to like anyone as long as you were spreading love rather than hate. She was the one who welcomed him in during late nights when he was kicked out of his own home. She was dead here, mutilated, and he could no longer pretend that this wasn’t happening.

 

Yongguk couldn’t physically stand, his legs like jelly, and he found himself crawling away. The knees of his jeans were wet and sticky, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to bear it if he confirmed what was soaking them, so he didn’t. Not looking back once at the woman behind him, he slowly crawled like a wounded dog up the fine wooden stairs towards Jonghyun’s room. Each step felt taller than the last, and the nausea wracking his body was overwhelming. The phone gripped tightly between his fingers was silent, though the call was still going. He didn’t think about what that could mean, tried not to think at all.

 

Minho’s door was cracked open, and Yongguk could already see enough inside to feel his throat crack tightly, unsure if he should even look at what he knew was just feet behind that door. A limp, white hand was curled into a flaccid fist, and Yongguk of all people would know who’s hand that was when he held it almost every day until now. “Min, Min,” he found himself sobbing over and over, collapsed outside the door, curling into himself tightly. “No, no no no, no…”

 

The call’s timer continued on for five minutes before he was pushing the door open, heart in pieces in his stomach, his throat shredded, his limbs numb and heavy, his eyes burning as they leaked down his sticky face. He knew what he would see before he saw it, and he didn’t hesitate to crawl over to his boyfriend, collapsing behind him to hug his waist. His body was stiff, cold, and Yongguk only held him tighter as if he just needed to be warmed up to wake again, like a bunny in hibernation, like a baby fast asleep. The wounds on Minho’s neck were considerably cleaner, two small punctures, and Yongguk’s mind flashed to vampires but he didn’t have the energy to try and figure what was happening to their city in this moment. As the sun rose through the closed blinds of Minho’s window, he held onto his boyfriend’s body, closing his eyes tightly, pretending like this wasn’t real, pleading to wake in a world where today hadn’t happened at all.

He’d almost fallen asleep when a soft knock echoed simultaneously from his phone and the closet beside him. The noise was so quiet he could almost pretend like he hadn’t heard it, but he had, and with immense difficulty he pried his heavy arms off of the cold form he was draped against. Minho’s face was turned away from him, and he made no effort to look at it, knowing it would hurt a little less to just pretend like he was sleeping, to not see his eyes frozen like his mother’s, like the woman on the street’s. He slowly reached a trembling hand into his pocket, fumbling for his knife like he had the motor skills to do anything with it even if what was in the closet were a threat. It wasn’t like he really cared; His will to live was centered on this house, and this house had been killed by something he couldn’t understand. If he went down with it, then so be it. 

The door slid open easily, and he found his breath catching when he didn’t even know he was still breathing. Minho’s little brother was curled up in the corner, his brother’s phone held tightly between his fingers, which were covered in blood. There was blood all over him, on his neck, on his hands, and his eyes were faint like he could pass out at any moment. Blue lips parted and his voice trembled as he whispered, “Hyung.” And then, as if he’d accomplished what had been keeping him conscious, his eyes fell shut and he slumped over. 

Yongguk didn’t know what had spurred his previously grief stricken body into grabbing the boy and running out of the house towards the urgent care clinic. He didn’t know why Jongup breathing shakily in his arms had managed to take priority over spending his last moments with Minho, over breaking down and crying like he felt so horribly inclined to do. Perhaps as he looked back on it now, it was because he could actually do something for Jongup, when there was no saving the rest of the happy family that he’d spent a meal with just hours before. The clinic that usually saw no business was hectic and busy, people crying, people chattering anxiously, talk of ‘vampires’ pulsing through the room like a stigma. Jongup was taken into one of the rooms six hours after their arrival, and Yongguk wondered how the hell he was still even alive after seeing the horrible damage done to his throat. It was like something had not just bitten but torn, shredded right across the front. The blood crusting on them both was probably from his jugular. Even the doctor had stated that it was a wonder he’d survived this long.

 

Yongguk was numb as the doctors hooked up cords to the young boy’s body, stitched up his throat and put a mask over his lips. He was numb when the doctor told him that Jongup may have difficulty speaking for a while, or possibly for the rest of his life, given the damage done to his throat and the trauma he must’ve experienced. They were rushed out after the teen was stable to make room for other patients, and Yongguk’s home was silent in a way that was far less comforting as he carried the boy mask and all into his bedroom, the medicines and spare medical tape the doctor had shoved into his hands heavy in his pockets. He tucked the boy under the blankets, put his phone on the charger, washed his bloody hands. His eyes were cold and dead when he looked in the mirror, and no matter how he scrubbed, the rims of his fingernails were still crusted black. 

He’d later learn that over the hours of that Saturday night, nearly three thousand people had died with ghostly pale skin and bite marks. The government had confirmed a state of emergency, and even outside of the country people panicked about ‘vampiric creatures.’ Videos were posted to social media of what looked like people flickering like a shadow into a room and diving for their victim’s neck, feasting like rabid dogs. There was discussion about how no deaths had happened since the sun rose, further pointing towards the vampires that were supposedly only a myth. Jongup had woken up, and as the doctor warned, his sobs were like those of an injured bird, all the wrong tones and noises, all through the day. He boarded the doors, the windows, turned on some anime that Jongup was too occupied crying to watch. The sun fell, then rose again, fell, then rose. And the longer they hid, the more their anguish dissolved into fury towards the creatures that had single handedly ruined everything that they once lived for.

 

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‘Thus passed the Red Moon Massacre, the event that eventually created two of the most bloodthirsty hunters the VED has initiated to date.’

 

Kim Seokjin glanced up, quirking an eyebrow confusedly as Moon Jongup’s face was void of emotion. “The Jongup in this story is surely you, correct? That must explain why you can’t speak.” The younger male blinked slowly before casting his eyes down to the steel table, as if he himself had forgotten that the memory he was retelling was one he’d himself experienced. His eyes flickered from side to side, as if seeing something that wasn’t really there, before he seemed to force himself to look to the journalist once again. His fingers rattled against the tablet, and even though he wasn’t looking at what he was typing, there were no spelling errors as the screen was slid back to the man. ‘The Jongup in this story was a child. He’s changed since then. So has Yongguk. I think everyone who survived that night changed in some way.’ 

Seokjin nodded in understanding. He himself had been on a camping trip, only returning to find carnage and chaos. “The VED was created only three weeks after the incident, and my sources say you and Bang joined immediately.” Jongup nodded, typing carefully this time. ‘We found Youngjae around four months after we started hunting, but otherwise, that’s all for our team.’ Seokjin wondered about the term ‘found,’ but didn’t press. “Can you say then, that you two played a strong part in the VED’s composition as it developed wards, magic, or other means against vampires?’ 

Jongup shrugged halfheartedly, typing for a while longer before sliding the screen across lazily. ‘We were the first to ever kill a vampire. Yongguk stabbed it right in the back of the head, and just kept stabbing until it stopped screaming. We didn’t touch the magic they were creating until Yongguk had gotten injured on the field, but it’s helpful stuff, despite the side effects. I don’t know how Youngjae deals with them. I only have a bit of healing magic and the migraines are horrible. Last time Youngjae got a fever he nearly burned our living space to the ground.’ Seokjin chuckled at the image before realizing that Jongup didn’t seem amused at all about the situation. The words were erased, then retyped. ‘You think it’s funny until you have to shake someone awake who’s literally on fire. I don’t know how he can bear it, being so strong.’ 

Despite how entertaining the conversation was, Seokjin wasn’t finding the right kind of information from it, so he tried to slowly turn it back. “Youngjae came four months later you said? Between then, you two mostly trained to fight, to nurse, et cetera. Tell me about one of your first missions. It must’ve been difficult, facing vampires when you had no idea what they were capable of. 

Jongup bowed his head, sighing weakly as he shifted the tablet back to the reporter. ‘Difficult is an understatement, I’m genuinely amazed that we lived through the first week. I think our biggest mission was actually the night we found Youngjae.’ 

“Tell me about that.” Seokjin doubted he was being pushy, not with someone like Jongup as his client. Fingers skittered across a small screen, and the snow fell silently on the building as the hours ticked by. 

 

((Hello, thank you for reading this far <3 This story has a lot of importance to me, so tell me what you think if you get the chance. Is this style of writing okay, where events take place as Jongup tells a story? I’m only doing this to put the backstory into perspective so we can get into the main story. The events that led to Jongup being incarcerated and Yongguk’s current location will be explained in the coming chapters. The next chapter will also feature more Youngjae and Yongguk, so don’t worry~ Either way, I hope that you enjoy this so far. As said before, these backstory chapters will build into the main story shortly, since this is a slow-burn style fic. Thank you again for reading.))

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Added note, 6/9/18: I changed the name of Yongguk's boyfriend from Jonghyun to Minho for respect reasons. If I missed it anywhere and you catch it, please let me know so I can change the name <3 Sorry for the inconvenience.


	3. Prologue: Youngjae

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is kind of long to make up for the long wait. Warnings include graphic depictions of violence.  
> Also, someone suggested that I put Jongup's typed words in italics so that it's easier to read. I did so in this chapter, so let me know if it works better or not~

The keystrokes echoed in the barren room, clicks bouncing from the steel table to the large mirror that was surely a window from the other side. Seokjin wondered in the breaths between Jongup’s responses if they were being watched at this moment. Whether they were or not hardly concerned him. He’d never been one to worry over privacy, and it didn’t seem as though Jongup was uncomfortable with the concept of unintended listeners either. Though, he figured he himself could just walk out if he were too bothered to say what needed to be say. At the moment, Jongup didn’t have much of a choice in his location. 

Seokjin could barely make out the other’s fingertips leaving residual prints on the keyboard portion of the tablet’s screen, the single, overhanging light reflecting the other’s focused eyes before the light was glinting and the screen was being pushed back towards him.

‘We found Youngjae in August, eight months after the Massacre. He was being hunted day and night by both a vampire and a number of humans, and he probably would’ve died if Yongguk and I hadn’t broken the VED’s rules that night.’ The reporter’s eyes flicked upwards, a brow cocked upward with curiosity, but Jongup’s neutral expression was smoother than the table below their elbows. The agent only spared Seokjin a soft nod, one that pressed him to finish reading before he asked any questions. The reporter figured he could do that much, narrowing his eyes at the screen to focus more intently on the words. ‘We were still trainees then, and hunts were supposed to be performed in groups of at least twenty. We’d run into vampires rather often on these hunts.’

‘It was awful, especially the first few months. We watched comrades, even a few people we talked to on a daily basis die in the most horrible ways. Vampires don’t care about sucking your blood if you’re trying to kill them. Even twenty of us, training day and night for this one fight, were worthless against even one. They’re so fast, and way stronger than humans, as we know now. But we didn’t know it then until a vampire was hopping from person to person, just tearing them literally apart. Me and Yongguk are fortunate to be alive; Amongst all of the people who are no longer training in the VED, at least a fifth are dead.’

‘But returning to the night we found Youngjae, our biggest mission as to say. The VED had told everyone to take it easy that night, since the night before we’d watched five trainees fall. I was fine with the idea of resting, it wears on you in a way I can’t explain, watching life end so often. But Yongguk was growing irritated with the lack of progress we were making. Hunting parties being so big usually kept us much more alive than going out alone, but it made us stand out. A big group of humans just standing in the middle of the city at night with weapons ready. You can’t really spy on something that sees you coming, right?’ 

 

Seokjin shrugged, muttering, “Big group or small, they would see you coming either way. Or at least hear your footsteps, your heartbeat, something. Even going out alone, there’s no hiding from a vampire at night unless you have no pulse.” Jongup nodded curtly, and within moments the reporter was reading new words.

 

‘Yes, and we discovered that very quickly, but we didn’t know at the time. We thought we could hide, watch a vampire or two from afar, learn their habits and tendencies while they weren’t trying to tear us open. That was it, we just wanted to watch one, take notes, then go. Honestly everything else that ended up happening that night was either a beautiful miracle or a horrible coincidence, given where the three of us are at now.’

Seokjin glanced up, wondering why Jongup ended the paragraph so abruptly. The other’s catlike eyes delved into his own, as if waiting for questions that he could practically see dancing on the reporter’s tongue. So, with little hesitation, Seokjin asked. “Hunted by vampires makes sense, at least mildly. Feeders weren’t so popular of an issue until recently, but they surely still existed around then, given that vampires were already so advanced in culture by the time of the Massacre. But being hunted by humans? Was Youngjae a criminal of sorts? It would explain his standoffish demeanor. And despite the fact that going out at night before wards and common magic was a death sentence, you and Yongguk still went out just… to gather information?”

Jongup cocked a smile at this, amusement slipping over his previously placid face.

‘Our gathered information is the reason why wards and common magic exist, Mr. Kim. Yongguk was right, and everyone else, including myself, was just too afraid to see it. We’d do the same thing every night, go out, shoot our guns, swing our knives. We never found progress and only ever had the bodies of our own team to haul back when retreat became the only option. Every hunt was the same. Running in circles like that was leading us nowhere, so the next option was to learn what vampires were weak to, how they acted and what they did when they thought no one was watching. It isn’t a hunt without a stalk of sorts, and you can’t do something so stealthy with a large, trigger-happy group of terrified kids. So we snuck out.’ 

 

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As of August, the world had finally begun to settle. The waters that had been stirred by the appearance of what were now officially called vampires were only ripples now. Society as a whole had in many ways changed, and in just as many ways stayed the same. One of these changes was that the moment the sun fell, all average citizens were required to be locked up inside, and while this law wasn’t really enforced, it was harshly followed. The trauma that the country had faced since the appearance of vampires last December could not easily be forgotten, and even the careless found themselves planning in avoidance of nightfall. All except Yongguk. 

The bed creaked too loudly for Jongup’s nerves as the elder’s quick movements shuffled from the bunk below his. Knives, a pistol, a roll of gauze, various creams including a greenish, grainy paste littered the floor below as Yongguk gathered various supplies that were supposed to be locked up neatly in the storage facility into a small backpack. This was supposed to be one of their only nights to rest in a while, and probably would be the last one they’d have for some time. Jongup had ten pages of protest against wasting such a night written in swirled script in his journal, going off about how reckless this plan was. But Yongguk had sworn that they would come back from this unharmed (despite the quantity of equipment) and with more information than they’d ever gained on an outing with a group, so here they were, packing to sneak out of the VED’s safe walls into the open streets of Seoul, the moon high in the sky and the ‘demons’ prowling freely.

“Don’t worry.” Yongguk’s voice was soft, as if he could read the other’s anxiety better than his handwriting, and Jongup wouldn’t be surprised if that were something Yongguk was actually capable of. The elder had a powerfully calm nature to him, the type that foretold of power and wisdom. Perhaps this aura combined with the fact that Jongup was still alive thanks to this man was what kept him following Yongguk’s every move. While the dark-haired male gathered their supplies in a semi-organized manner, Jongup counted the tiny, harmless spiders that nested in the corner of the ceiling where the bars of the bunk bed’s railing grazed the panels. There were three of them nestled together at the moment, and he wondered if spiders were in touch with the concept of family. 

“Hopefully we’ll get out without an incident and have plenty to tell the VED about. There’s only so much you can learn from something while you’re fighting to stay alive, so this should in theory be more effective,” Yongguk explained, though he’d already said most of this earlier.. “With just two of us, we shouldn’t even have to fight. We’ll be careful and run if there’s danger, it’s as simple as that.” With just two they would be able to hide in the shadows, watch the vampires as they skittered through the streets of the city they’d conquered just around eight months ago. Jongup didn’t honestly feel much comfort from Yongguk’s words, but he also had zero intention of actually staying behind. He’d much rather be out there, with the monsters who killed his family and comrades and tore his voice right from his throat, than laying in bed knowing that Yongguk was standing on those bloodstained streets alone.

A loud, quick swipe of the zipper, and Yongguk was finally rising from the bed, swinging the now thickly packed backpack over his shoulder. “It’s time. You don’t have to come if you don’t believe it’s safe, you know that.” It was a statement, because questions were rather pointless when Jongup couldn’t reply without a notepad (the VED swore they’d get him a sign language tutor when the funding came), and writing took too long to be convenient anyway. He nodded firmly despite the unease settling like a tilting top in his stomach, jumping down from the top bunk with practiced ease, and Yongguk hummed in acknowledgement. “Then let’s go,” the eldest whispered. 

Sneaking out had been too easy when they were welcome to walk these halls freely night and day. The VED was perhaps the safest place in all of Seoul, heavily warded with mint essences, steel gates, and other precautions. In the first few months after the Massacre, many people applied to be hunters simply for this comfortable safety, up until they realized that in exchange, they’d be expected to go fight the monsters they were hiding from. There weren’t nearly as many hunters left in comparison to how many had been there eightish months ago when the VED had initiated them. But it was only a miserable fact now that comrades left, comrades got cold feet, comrades died with their throats in pieces and their limbs torn off. It was just fate now in a world ruled by vampires, where humans were made prey for the first time since the beginning of society. In an attempted positive light, Jongup figured the emptier hallways made it far more simple to slip out of the large building without ever even being seen leaving the dorms. 

The night air was hot and thick, the sticky August air already making his shirt tight to his skin by the time the VED was out of sight. The streets were eerily silent, lamps flickering as their bulbs began to die without proper maintenance. There were rarely any vampires this close to the VED building anymore, the practically immortal creatures probably only tired of being pestered by swarms of hunters every few nights hoping to finally score a kill. Yongguk’s pace was quick and his steps were soft as to lessen the echo of his boot on the concrete. Jongup did his best to follow suit in tandem, vision focused wide in search for any sudden movement nearby. 

He felt almost naked, being here without a small crowd, the same feeling as a child would cry over upon realizing that their classmates had abandoned them on a school trip, or that they’d lost their parents in a store. Even with Yongguk just a foot away, Jongup could feel the shadows sneaking up on him. He had no difficulty now, in this steady darkness, recalling how unbelievably fast vampires could be. At any moment, without warning, a vampire could potentially flicker up behind him, grab him with thick, sharp nails digging into his chest, jerk his neck to the side and… 

Even almost a year later, he could still remember how foreign his gurgled screams sounded as they pulsed through his brother’s bedroom, how thick and deep the bite felt into his throat when the teeth first sank in, how the blood tickled and soaked harshly into his shirt until the pain and the numbness was too powerful too to feel it any longer. Swallowing tightly and forcing the awful memory back into its cage with a quick shiver, Jongup hurried to stick even closer to Yongguk’s back. 

It was too quiet, and Jongup wondered if the VED had some method of singling out a vampire for them to target that he never knew of. He’d pictured that the farther away from the VED they walked, the more they’d find entire cultures of the creatures living like humans did during the day. But they’d been walking for nearly seven minutes now, and even Yongguk was tense in the shoulders at this point, his steps growing quicker and restless. In the silence there was an almost solid perception of danger just beyond the eye, like one more step would have them surrounded. Maybe this had been an even worse idea than previously expected; Jongup still trusted Yongguk to make that call over himself. 

Suddenly though, Jongup thought he caught a swift motion from the corner of his eye, and Yongguk yanked him into a nearby alley before his body could properly respond. The younger bit his lip tightly and held his breath almost instinctively as they waited, waited. Silence. Jongup wondered if a vampire would kill them quickly or tear them up a bit first, play with them until they were mangled. Before he could come to a conclusion, Yongguk was slowly inching out of the alley to continue at a quicker pace down the road, and Jongup was following..

He didn’t know where they were going, never thinking to question where in the vast city this ‘vampire watching’ idea would take place, but Yongguk was leading them somewhere, taking seemingly random turns into thinner streets, avoiding the high-traffic areas that Jongup had memorized during the day. Perhaps vampires hung around where humans liked to hang around, hoping to snag a bite of someone that lingered too long after dark. Maybe they were being hunted right now without even knowing it. If a vampire locked onto them, would they have any hope of escape? Jongup grazed his fingers over the two steel daggers holstered onto his belt. Would he have time to stab the thing before it tore off his arms? He’d never succeeded in hitting one before on the previous hunts, but that might have also been because there were too many other hunters in his way. 

“Here,” Yongguk whispered, dipping into an obscure alleyway and immediately turning to face the door of what looked like a tiny cafe. The closed sign was bold behind the window, but with a turn of the knob, the door was swinging open and Jongup was following Yongguk in with wide eyes. There was a government issued warning to deadbolt and herbally proof all entrances and exits of owned buildings before nightfall, and usually people didn’t trust one or the other, doing both. It was strange that the cafe’s door wasn’t even locked, but perhaps the owner assumed that, with the thick, combined aromas of garlic and mint (two of only four total VED-discovered vampire wards), no one in their right mind, human or vampire, would be breaking in at night. 

Once the door was shut and, as should be, locked behind them, Jongup whipped around and yanked his phone from his pocket, jumping to the notes and skittering out a question that he held up to Yongguk moments later with wide, curious eyes. ‘How did you know that the door was unlocked? This is some random cafe literally half a mile from the dorms. I’ve never even heard of this place.’ Yongguk broke a faint, wary smile and muttered, “One of the trainees told me his dad owns this place. Apparently the old guy preaches that no human alive would run through vampire infested streets just to break into a rundown cafe.” Jongup hummed a soft note, the only sound he could properly make anymore, in acknowledgement before typing up another question. 

‘Don’t you think it’d be better to watch for vampires somewhere more open? We haven’t encountered a single one the whole way here.’ A nod, and Yongguk was reaching into his pocket, pulling out what looked like a stopwatch and flicking it open. His eyes were dull, distracted, as he muttered, “Actually, we were within a mile radius of at least four of them during that walk. I guess we managed to avoid them.” Jongup’s jaw dropped, and he hurried to the Yongguk’s side as he sat in a booth, the younger leaning over the other’s arm to stare down at the device. Rather than a clock face, the inside was just a computerized screen covered in tiny numbers, the words above each one almost too small to read without squinting. Like Yongguk had said, under the section that read ‘1 Mile Radius’ was a small number four. Beside it read ‘30 foot radius,’ and Jongup swallowed as the number shown under that title was a heart-stilling ‘one.’ 

'We really got within thirty feet of a vampire? When?' Yongguk shook his head slowly, muttering, “Probably when we had to hide in that alley for a bit, but I’m not sure. I thought I saw something move, but it could’ve just been a rat or a piece of trash. No way to tell now.” He left the stopwatch open and placed it on the table, glancing out through a small tinted window beside the booth. “We can look out from here. This device was created by the VED, it’s how they locate vampires both to avoid and to hunt. I found it on the team leader’s desk.” Jongup would always be amazed at how brave Yongguk was to even think of stealing something so valuable, but what was the VED going to do about it even if they did find out? It wasn’t like they had enough hunters to kick them out, especially after the director himself admitted Yongguk and Jongup were some of the most resilient of the trainees. They’d probably just get yelled at, ordered not to do anything so rash again. At least if we make it back alive, Jongup’s mind whispered quietly. He shushed it. 

‘How does it work?’ Yongguk glanced at Jongup’s phone from the corner of his eye, having learned to read fast after reading text had become the sole way to hear anything Jongup had to say. “Those numbers will change if a vampire comes within or leaves the required radius around us, it resets every hour. We can use this and wait here until the count shows a vampire is nearby. This alley is a good hiding space for any human locked out until morning, vampires surely know this. It also is one of the quicker routes from clubs, hotels, all the big stuff. If you were a vampire, you would probably think to go after party-goers, but nowadays parties just last all night until morning so people don’t have to leave the building. A smart vampire would instead choose to linger near hotels, gas stations, places where people are trapped on the wrong side of the locked doors until morning.” Jongup nodded softly at the deduction, and gazed out the window, suddenly finding his breath hitching and his heart skipping, fingers curling violently into Yongguk’s sleeve. 

Because already the empty alley was no longer empty. Through the darkness, Jongup could see someone stumbling from the left of the cafe window where the aforementioned hotels and events often took place just down the road a bit. It was a young man, probably someone around their age if the darkness wasn’t deceiving his appearance. By the clumsy manner in which he swayed, Jongup deduced that he was surely human, possibly injured, possibly just drunk. Yongguk bit his cheek firmly before standing from the booth and slowly inching towards the door, as to not alert the dazed stranger of the movement behind the window too soon. Seeing motion behind a dark window would probably just scare the guy, who Yongguk seemed to intend to let into the cafe with them. Jongup questioned this logic; What if the guy was dangerous? But even if that were the case, humans were much weaker than the vampires they fought regularly, and they could surely take him. 

But when Yongguk was easing near the door, maybe five or so feet away, the stranger suddenly whipped around to look behind him, then without hesitation he took off running in the opposite direction from which he came. Yongguk paused, as if considering whether to call out to the man, seeming to decide against it before returning to the booth and sitting back down. “I hope he makes it,” he mumbled, gazing back out the dim window. As if on cue, the pounding of footsteps pierced through the thin walls, and Yongguk and Jongup watched startled as at least seven more figures were rushing down the alley in the same direction the stranger had ran off towards just a minute before.They were gone quickly, but their footsteps were loud, and surely they were human because vampires didn’t seem to flock in groups.

After a tense five minutes, waiting for something else strange to happen with no response, Jongup slowly peeled his eyes from the window. Just now, eight humans had run off into the dangerous night. He wondered if they should go after them, but it was common sense that they stay behind the safety of the door’s herbal wards. Like Yongguk had said, all they could do was hope that the people would make it; He’d learned quickly as a hunter that mourning could only last until it did more harm than good. 

Jongup found himself glancing back to the small, watch-like device, and bit his lip when he noticed that the number of vampires that had been within a 30 foot radius of them in the past hour had suddenly changed from one to two. It was only unsettling for a moment, as they were well hidden behind the warded herbs and lock of the cafe’s entrance, but suddenly a thick, icy terror creeped into his chest. He let his fingers skitter quickly across the keyboard of his phone, tapping Yongguk who was staring in a daze out the window and handing the device to him. ‘A vampire is nearby. Those people are in danger.’ He could see the elder man’s muscles tense, see the conflict warring in his eyes, before he slowly shook his head. “It’d be suicide to try and take on a vampire with just us. I want to help them too, Jongup, but we can’t. Let’s just hope that they’ve found a good place to hide so they…” A man’s muffled scream cut off his words, the noise sounding from outside in the direction the strangers had run off to, and Jongup could feel both of their hearts stopping in their chests. The flashbacks, the pulsing fear and reality of what vampires could do to humans. Despite Yongguk’s words there was no discussion necessary as, without hesitation or second thoughts, the two were bolting out the door towards the sound. The scream was agonized, like someone was in immense pain, but if the person was still screaming that meant that he was still alive, which was all they could hope for. Jongup desperately wanted to ask Yongguk what their plan was, if only he had a voice, but he knew damned well that neither of them knew exactly what they’d do once they reached the source of that scream. Perhaps having its meal interrupted would irritate the vampire into running away; The thought would’ve been laughable in a better situation.

Two corners were rounded, and they froze at what they saw at the lip of a wider alleyway nearby. Nine bodies lay limp, some draped over the others, and Jongup swallowed as he just barely could see the seeping blood staining the concrete through the darkness. Seven of the men were dressed similarly: black, semi-formal attire and pistols strapped to holsters on their hips. One person was collapsed against the brick wall of the alley, specifically the person they’d seen stumbling on his own, and Jongup only just now noticed that his chest was rising and falling rapidly, that his eyes were barely open. The final form on the ground, Yongguk and Jongup shockingly realized at the same moment, was elegant in proportion, burned harshly by means they didn’t know, and only the teeth of his gaping mouth revealed that this was the body of a dead vampire. There was too much to look at, too much to comprehend, and questions were spinning like a carousel in Jongup’s mind. Thankfully Yongguk was a quicker thinker than he, and had already ran right past the vampire to the only living form in the alley besides themselves. 

“Hey, can you hear me?” he asked, his low voice descended towards a whisper in case other, living vampires were nearby. Jongup wished they’d grabbed the watch-like detector before they ran out of the cafe; At least that way they’d know if there were more nearby. The young man exhaled in what sounded like a quiet, pained whimper. As Jongup hurried to kneel beside Yongguk, he winced at the male’s condition. His hair was dirty and matted like it hadn’t been brushed in days, black bangs sticking to his forehead with sweat from running and a possible fever. Dark circles creased under distant eyes. Slowly lowering his gaze, Jongup noted that his neck was crusted in a peel of dried blood, easily spotted the messy fang marks that were scabbed over, probably at most five days old. From there it only grew worse. His clothes were bloodstained, dirty and torn in places, he could see at least three deep cuts resembling like knife slashes from the rips in his button-down. His pants leg had ridden up to reveal that one of his ankles was swollen and bruised purple, and he wondered how the guy had even gotten this far with such an injury. Other than the bite, the only wound that was reasonably vampire inflicted was a claw-like gash down his shoulder. The rest looked weapon-made, or by some other cause.

 “What the hell happened to you…?” Yongguk muttered the words that Jongup was thinking, reaching out towards Jongup without looking him, the younger hunter slipping the backpack full of equipment they weren’t supposed to need and handed it over quickly. Yongguk unzipped the bag and pulled out a single roll of gauze, probably with the intention of only patching up the wounds that were currently bleeding to get the guy into a good enough condition to carry back with them. While he did this, Jongup slowly weaved between each body, avoiding the vampire until he could comprehend just how the hell it had somehow died when none of their efforts in eight months had ever brought them to being able to kill one. 

As he suspected, the men surely were in a group of some kind. They all had similar attire, the same model of gun and knives, and top brand phones protected by a password Jongup wouldn’t attempt to guess. Looking back to the young, barely conscious man Yongguk was currently treating, there was a clear difference in association. From what he remembered, considering this, was it possible that this person was being chased by these seven men? Why? And above all else, why at night, when vampires could easily swoop in and kill all of the humans involved? It seemed, at least, like the survivor would live long enough to answer these questions later, so with careful, unsteady steps, Jongup finally approached the elephant in the room. 

The vampire looked both very different and very similar to the one he’d saw up close and personal on the night of the Massacre. It wore clothing that resembled what any human would wear, jeans and a loose hoodie, but there was something about the way its pale skin seemed to radiate even now, about the way light reflected off of its dead eyes like twinkling. It was unnerving, trying to find what made vampires so easy to spot from humans, because the answer wasn’t clear. They looked exactly like humans did, but there were miniscule oddities. Their image was more ethereal, graceful, like how humans would consider deities to look. Despite it having the same form as a human man, the same clothes, the same basics, Jongup had no doubt that this really was a vampire laying at his feet. 

Pulling up from a crouch, he slipped out his phone and turned on the flash, snapping a few shots of the creature below him while making sure to catch its teeth clearly in one of the pictures. If he couldn’t believe this when it was right before him, the VED surely wouldn’t. The men had all surely been killed by the vampire. A few did have a stab wound or two, but that made sense given the fact that there was a bloodied knife inches from the only survivor’s hand. He was probably chased by these men until he couldn’t run anymore, put up a decent fight until was overwhelmed. At the smell of the blood, the vampire came and tore into the seven throats before it and didn’t get to the final living victim before… 

Before… what? Before it died? Caught on fire? Did fire even hurt vampires? He had no idea, they’d never tried it. The vampire’s neck was hanging far off of where its spine should’ve held it, but no human had the speed or strength to break a vampire’s neck. And where did the large, intense burns come from when there was no fire source nearby? Jongup’s thoughts were snapped from confusion as Yongguk’s deep voice muttered out, “Let’s get him back before another vampire shows up. You took pictures of all of this right?” His teammate had the young man in a piggy back of sorts, though the stranger didn’t seem to be capable of holding his own weight, leaving Yongguk under a bit of strain. Perhaps Jongup could take a turn holding him as they ran back the half mile to the VED, surely carrying the entire limp weight of a person couldn’t be easy for that long. Jongup nodded to the question, shoving his phone back into his pocket and analyzing the scene one more time before turning to hurry after the elder.

Watching their backs the entire run to the VED, Jongup was shocked at how blessed they were that no vampire had come close when they were literally prime meat, with one person badly injured and the other having to carry him. The gates came into sight and he ran ahead of Yongguk to punch in the twenty-digit code to open them before, without any of the stealth they’d used to sneak out, they were rushing back into the office of their workplace and home. A woman was sitting at the desk, someone always there for just-in-case purposes, and she didn’t seem to expect to see the sort of thing she was looking at when she lifted her eyes from the computer. “What the-” she muttered before grabbing the phone on the desk and hurriedly punching in some numbers. “We need immediate medical attention to the main office, a man is severely injured. Please hurry!” 

The next hour was a whirlwind. Yongguk had already made it halfway to the medical unit by the time the medics were on their way, and by the time the stranger was being lowered quickly from Yongguk’s back to a stretcher Jongup noted that he was losing consciousness fast, sweat trickling from his forehead, eyes squeezed tightly shut in pain. He could only follow Yongguk and the team of people in slacks until they reached the medical office. From there, he couldn’t really catch what was going on. Between the organized rush of the doctors and nurses to the orders being shouted across the room, Jongup felt almost numb as the adrenaline from earlier dropped him alone right in the middle of a high-stress situation. Yongguk seemed to notice rather quickly that Jongup was stunned like this and shooed him out of the room, telling him to go and rest, that he’d make sure the man didn’t die. Jongup couldn’t bring himself to do it, and in a daze he found himself sitting on the floor right beside the doors to the office, listening to the commotion barely leaking out from inside. 

Only when sunlight began to trickle through the windows did Yongguk emerge, looking exhausted but relieved, not seeming surprised at all that Jongup was still waiting outside. “You can come see him if you want. The staff was freaking out for a lot longer than I expected, sorry to keep you waiting. Apparently this kid is some type of miracle case.” Jongup raised an eyebrow, but he really did want to see with his own eyes that the young male was okay. Having seen him so weak like that, barely even able to keep his eyes open, Jongup had been reasonably worried. 

In the two hours that had apparently passed while Jongup was exiled from the room, the medical team had not only put an IV in the man and worked to clean and stitch his infected wounds, they’d also run a search from his fingerprints to figure out who he was. “Yoo Youngjae,” Yongguk had said softly once the door to the single-patient room clicked closed behind them. The stranger looked much younger now that he was cleaned up, his dark hair fluffy over his forehead after the dirt and clumps had been scrubbed out, clean bandages wrapped around his bare stomach and chest. His eyes were closed peacefully in a calm rest, and Jongup only now felt the gravity of the fact that they probably saved a life tonight, despite how many they hadn’t been able to save in the process. “He is… or at least was… a bodyguard for hire.” A bodyguard? Jongup gazed towards the boy skeptically. He was… kind of skinny to be honest, not enough muscle to make sense of that sort of job, but Yongguk continued calmly. “A businessman named Lee Gunwoo was his most recent client. You may have heard of his dad on the news, Lee Taesung? The guy’s weapons business was one of the world’s biggest, and that was going to be passed down to the kid.” Jongup didn’t see why this was relevant, but Yongguk wasn’t a man of many words; If he was bringing the topic up in the first place, it would be important enough soon. 

“Youngjae here was tasked with protecting Taesung’s only son at an important conference, and despite his previously perfect record, he failed. Seems like those guys who didn’t survive tonight were Taesung’s bodyguards coming to get revenge for his deceased heir. That’s why they were after him.” Jongup blinked, before glancing down to the dark-haired male resting peacefully in the bed. In a second he had his phone out, typing a response to Yongguk’s story. ‘How long have they been chasing him?’ Yongguk shook his head gently, eyes never leaving the person they’d rescued. “Days, maybe even a week. You can hide in the sunlight from vampires, but being on the run from humans makes things far more complicated. Youngjae was probably out so late tonight hoping that the guys hunting him down wouldn’t dare step out at night. It explains why he’s so malnourished if he hasn’t had a chance to eat or rest in that long.” 

‘Even putting aside that he’s malnourished, he doesn’t look strong enough to be a bodyguard.’ Jongup’s eyebrows creased as Yongguk’s lips slowly formed into a smile, one that only came when he was truly excited about something, which was rare since the Massacre took his sole joy in life. “That’s what I meant when I mentioned that he was a miracle case of sorts. Seems like our Youngjae here can use magic.” 

Jongup blinked twice, slow and blank, before his fingers began to swipe across his phone screen, but Yongguk shook his head, gently pushing down the younger’s phone. “Don’t ask. The doctors wouldn’t explain it to me until Youngjae wakes up enough to tell them details.” Magic. The kid could use magic. Jongup didn’t necessarily believe in things like that, but it may explain the dead vampire, the burns, it may explain all the things that didn’t make sense about tonight if this person really was capable of such a thing. 

As if he knew he was being talked about, the figure on the bed suddenly released a soft groan, his eyes squeezing shut before slowly opening. They didn’t stay open for long before the brightness of the room probably overwhelmed him, but he was clearly awake. Jongup wasn’t sure if he liked the way Yongguk’s smile softened, like he trusted this person. Even if he was impossibly able to use magic, even though they saved him, it didn’t matter. This was still a stranger, and Jongup could easily tell that Yongguk wanted him involved in the family the two of them had made just by seeing that look that rarely crossed his face. Rather than jealous, he was… he was… Yongguk knelt beside the bed, taking the young man’s hand into his own, watching him patiently. Jongup felt his stomach twist a little and confirmed that maybe he was a little jealous, but mostly he was cautious. 

“Where…” Yoo Youngjae mumbled, his voice raspy and dull, and Jongup wondered what kind of misfortune he himself had experienced that the vampire that bit him managed to damage his vocal chords. Youngjae could still speak despite the thick gauze patch on the left side of his neck. I’m not jealous of this person Jongup reiterated to himself, hushing the immature part of his brain that insisted so. He forced the images of this person with blood and grime covering his body, the way his chest heaved like a dying bird’s when they found him. The envy faded quickly and was replaced with sympathy, then guilt for ever feeling envious at all. If anyone deserved Yongguk’s attention right now it was Youngjae. Jongup had received it solely for almost a year straight after all. 

“You’re in the VED’s medical ward. We found you on the street last night.” The young man’s eyebrows slowly knitted together, like this wasn’t something that made sense, before the memories seemed to return and he was shooting into a sitting position, crying out as the sudden motion pulled the wounds on his stomach. “Hey,” Yongguk warned, slowly pushing him back down by his uninjured shoulder, Youngjae not resisting as his head hit the pillow once more. His eyes were fully open by now, and Jongup noticed that they were lighter than any that he’d seen before, the color of bronze, or honey-dripped coffee, rather than the dark chocolate color that most people around this area had. Youngjae swallowed as he finally looked at the two beside him, first at Yongguk, then to Jongup. His voice was quieter this time, softly asking, “There were people, they were after me. Do they know I’m here?” Yongguk shook his head quickly. “We looked into your case, so you don’t have to be vague about why you were running from them. They were all dead by the time we found you. You weren’t so far behind, but we got you back in time.” Yongguk then stepped back from his kneel, pulling up one of the chairs behind him and choosing to sit instead. “My name is Bang Yongguk, I’m a hunter in training for the VED. Beside me is Moon Jongup, who is also a hunter here. We were out studying vampires last night when we found you and seven dead men all in the same alley. We also found…”

“The vampire,” Youngjae breathed, his chest rising and falling quickly as he slowly sat up again, this time minding his wounds much more as he leaned back against the headrest. His eyes flickered from Jongup to Yongguk, to the door, to his lap, before settling with a desperate curiosity on Yongguk once more. “There was a vampire, right?” Jongup swallowed and Yongguk nodded, lowering his voice as he muttered, “There was, yes.” 

“Was… was he alive? Was he dead?” He… Youngjae had said ‘he.’ Jongup had never once heard a person refer to a vampire as anything but an ‘it,’ but surely the culture of hiding from these creatures had changed in the eight months he and Yongguk had been cooped up in the VED’s training hall. Perhaps citizens recognized certain features of certain vampires to be male or female and addressed them as such. “It,” Yongguk emphasized, “was dead. Burned badly from the neck to the waist. Our investigation on you implied that this was your doing.” Youngjae couldn’t hide the way his lip twitched, the way his eyes flicked to the door, as if there was even a question as to whether he could make it out on a sprained ankle with two hunters in his way. 

“We don’t want to hurt you, Youngjae. We saved you thinking that you were a regular person, so don’t feel like you’re here to be used or interrogated.” Jongup found himself slowly sitting as well in the chair further against the wall, feeling like it would seem less intimidating if he wasn’t standing with his arms crossed in front of the door like he had been. Yongguk’s voice was deep as always, but it had softened to something calming, similarly to how he had talked Jongup out of his depression months ago. “If you so choose, after your wound have healed enough, you can walk out of here and we won’t ask anything else about your ability or your situation. Of course, you have to remember that the VED is disconnected from the legal system and we can’t do anything about your human pursuers, assuming that your ex-client is willing to send more men after you. But if you choose to stay, you’ll be protected from them. The vampire that attacked you, there are so many more of them stalking and killing humans for the hell of it. We could never kill one, but your magic per se did just that. The VED would probably pay you a lot of money just to work for us.” Jongup would’ve stopped Yongguk if only to tell him that this was probably too much information at once for someone who’d just woken up from extreme exhaustion and a suffocating fever, but he figured the offer had to come at some point. The VED was desperate for options, and then miracle Yoo Youngjae was carried through their doors. 

Youngjae looked worn, his honey-like eyes falling dull in a daze, like he was lost in thought. After a pause, he muttered quietly, “I want to stay.” No worries, no inquiries. Jongup assumed it made sense if he literally couldn’t leave this building without having to be on the run again. Yongguk’s face could only be described as blessed as he stood and bowed to the man in the hospital bed. “Then I’d like to welcome you onto to our team. Jongup and I can show you everything you need to know when you’re ready, but for now focus on getting enough rest and healing well.” Youngjae nodded, but he still didn’t seem focused somehow, like something Yongguk had said had thrown him into a different world mentally, like he was lost in a memory of sorts. It didn’t matter. Jongup stood after Yongguk had, stepping towards the bed and typing quickly before showing Youngjae his phone. 

‘My name is Jongup. I’m mute, so this is the only way I can communicate. Welcome to our team. I’m seventeen years old, so I’m not sure if that makes me your hyung or not.’ This seemed to wake Youngjae up a little, and Jongup didn’t really like the way Youngjae of all people was looking at him with sympathy right now. “Thank you,” the other breathed halfheartedly, focus seeming to be fading in and out. “I’m nineteen, so I’d be your hyung. I guess…” Yongguk was grinning as he watched the two interact, but as Jongup said goodbye, he turned to walk out of the room. 

“He seems nice,” Yongguk stated softly as they made their way down the hall towards the dorms. Their instructor said that he wouldn’t get them in trouble for sneaking out only because they saved someone like Youngjae and brought important information on the dead vampire in the process, but told them not to do it again. ‘He seemed barely able to focus on the conversation. We can’t know what he’s like until he’s sobered up a little.’ Yongguk’s gentle smile faded, and he asked carefully, “Do you not trust Youngjae, Jongup?” 

‘It’s not that. I just think you’re a little too excited about him.’ Jongup closed out the notes app and slipped his phone into his pocket, a quick sign that he was ready to end the conversation. Yongguk chuckled lightly, shaking his head. “He’s our hope right now. If he can really kill a vampire, then we’re finally going somewhere with this whole fight. I’m excited for it.” Jongup nodded, but this time he was the one not so focused, ready to collapse in bed and not crawl out until his body was sore from the stillness. Yongguk seemed to take his lack of response as him being unsure, and reached to rustle Jongup’s hair. “This’ll be good, Uppie. We just have to wait and see what he can do.” 

Thirteen days later, Youngjae was released from the medical ward. Jongup didn’t expect it to take so long, but Yongguk reminded him often of just how bad his condition was. “He had internal damage they had to monitor, and his leg was fucked to hell. Thirteen days is lucky,” he promised. 

During their first training with the new member, Jongup got to really see what Youngjae’s magic was about. Sure enough, he could ignite his entire body in flames, no burns to be found on his body after he willfully extinguished them. He couldn’t shoot fire or anything that the comics would suggest, but was able to only ignite certain parts of his body. Over the next few days they’d had to replace the fire extinguisher multiple times after it was necessary to put out the lingering remnants of Youngjae’s punches, but despite the hassle, Jongup starting finding that he liked Youngjae quite a bit. He was determined, he didn’t hold his tongue like most people did when something needed to be said, no matter what it was. He fought like a beast, like his life depended on it every single time, and Yongguk’s eyes had only lit up when Youngjae even had to be restrained once in a hand to hand because the trainee he was fighting had mocked the bite marks that had scarred over his neck. 

On their first outing with him two months later, he was cold as stone until the vampire they were baiting had arrived. He was targeted immediately by the creature despite how vampires usually were smarter than lunging towards someone from the get go, and the vampire had been rightfully surprised when Youngjae had shoved it off of him with his arms and chest fully ignited in fire. The creature’s screech had been motivation for all twenty of the hunters there and an hour later Jongup’s silver bullet (a new creation by the science department that found such a thing to be effective) had knocked the creature down long enough for Youngjae to straddle its chest recklessly, curling his fingers around its neck and setting them alite. For the first time in VED history, the life faded from the vampire’s red eyes as its screams fell silent, and there were cheers from twenty hunters that night as they finally, finally won an impossible fight. 

The next morning the three of them were called into the office, and tokens were strung around their necks, the chairman of the VED that they’d never even met up until this point announcing that their feat that night was outstanding, announcing that Yongguk, Jongup, and Youngjae were all to become the VED’s first official hunters and agents, titled the ‘Matoki’ as a name for the family they’d formed together. They’d be paid greatly for their services and trusted with the VED’s more confidential studies and information. As the days passed, Youngjae quickly became the puzzle piece Jongup and Yongguk didn't know they were missing in their makeshift family, being the voice when neither wanted to speak and being the fire to their fight. Thanks to the boost in research that was gained from analyzing the dead vampire's corpse, the research division put out more of the vampires' weaknesses, including steel and, obviously, fire. With further training and help of this research, the Matoki team easily fell more vampires night by night.

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‘Finding Youngjae was the thing we needed to progress. Thanks to him, we are where we are now. I said it was our biggest mission, but it was hardly planned. Moreso, it was our biggest miracle yet.’ 

Seokjin slowly looked up from the tablet, eyes alite in wonder at the story he’d just been told. “I never knew. Like most others, I always assumed Youngjae was with you two the entire time. Even though he came eight months later, you three are so close.” Jongup nodded faintly, but he was growing tired of this never ending interview. He hadn’t gotten good sleep in days, his thoughts and the countless questionings he had to go through preventing his mind from slowing enough to. Perhaps if Seokjin left Jongup could take a nap right in this uncomfortable chair until he was summoned once more. Fate didn’t seem so fond of that idea. 

The door opened without a knock, and the receptionist, Tzuyu, was glancing in. “Mr. Kim, Agent Moon is to be interrogated in a few minutes. You’ve been here long enough to get what you wanted from him, right?” Seokjin sighed, stretching his arms above his head before peeling out of his chair and stretching his legs as well. “I guess so, though I still have so many questions.” He then turned to Jongup again, offering a gentle smile. “If these words mean anything, given your story, I don’t believe you’d ever turn on your leader like the others accuse. I wish you and Agent Yoo my sincerest luck in proving your innocence and relocating Agent Bang. I’ll keep updated on the situation. Farewell.” 

Jongup watched the man as he exited the room, eyes cold as the steel table, as the steel fence outside, cold as the rain that still trickled down the pipes that lined the VED building. He was tired, tired as the boards of the stairs that creaked under the reporter’s feet as he made his way towards the exit. Jongup felt his pulse in each of the taps he made on the table under his hands until he was being pulled out of the chair and handcuffed, the guards apologizing for having to do such a thing to someone of higher ranking than them. Telling such pieces of his story had sent him down a path of nostalgia that he wished now he’d never descended. As he lay in the holding cell’s thin bed, he knew that Youngjae was doing everything he could to get him out, knowing also that he was probably working with Zelo despite the risk that Himchan would find out and despite Jongup’s own wishes. He knew that Yongguk had probably left by choice because surely nothing had the strength to take him, but he could only wonder why. He knew that he could leave anytime if he simply followed Youngjae’s request to break him out, to run from “this fucking traitorous organization” as Youngjae had put it. But he had refused, and even now, he would stay, thinking back on the way he’d gotten here in the first place and what would have happened if even one detail of the past two years had changed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I hope this chapter was okay. It took so long because I spent days going back over it and changing things. I’m not so confident about how it concluded, so I hope it’s alright. This is the final chapter of the Prologue, and beginning next chapter will be the actual story. This prologue was mostly meant to introduce characters, state important backstory that won’t fit later, and reveal a piece of the future: That Jongup is currently in custody for something.   
> The next chapter will begin right after Youngjae, Yongguk, and Jongup were given the official title of ‘Matoki’ and became official hunters. There won’t be any more time skips after this chapter, so I hope it didn’t confuse anyone too much~ Either way, I hope you enjoy this story. Take care.


	4. Morning Breaks

The midnight air was thin, as if the tension pulsing throughout it somehow diluted the oxygen, and Jongup could never explain how abruptly alive he felt on nights like this. Something flickered to his left and he dropped to the ground just as the vampire whisked over him, growling like a beast at how he’d somehow dodged. There was no way a human would be physically capable of such a feat, but the runes snaking around Jongup’s arm weren’t just for decoration. Yongguk dove towards the vampire from behind and fired, the echo of the gunshot drifting through the vacant city’s streets. They were silent as they fought, their form perfect as the three hunters had formed a triangle around where the vampire chose to appear, closing in as if they weren’t inferior to this creature like all humans had to be. 

It was angry. They were threatening its pride in even attempting to kill it with only three meager humans, all the other vampires had been angry too. Jongup allowed some of the magic woven into the tattoos on his arms to slip into the dagger that he gripped tightly, waiting for the perfect moment. They had a technique down, they’d gone with it for months, and ever since Youngjae had been fully trained they’d never failed in a hunt. Yongguk rushed in, breaking the formation as per planned, and the vampire whipped around in fury to detach his head from his body… 

Now. 

The vampire screamed suddenly as the dart in Youngjae’s hand was ignited and thrown in less than a second, imbedded right into its shoulder, Immediately the flames grew, spreading into its clothes, dancing over its skin, and it wailed trying to rip the dart out but not being able to reach so far behind it. Yongguk jumped back and nodded to Jongup, who took his chance to run forward, grab the vampire by the neck (under the chin, where it couldn’t bite), and jabbed his dagger right into its skull. The crack of it was loud and per usual, the blade having difficulty shoving through, and two more pushes had the vampire falling limp to the asphalt. 

He caught his breath. Yongguk, voice distant as he was currently on the other side of the street, was already working on how they could improve. “Jae, accuracy is more important than speed in this case. The vamps are distracted with me, so you have time to aim your throw properly. If the fire had spread to its neck, Jongup wouldn’t have been able to grab it.” Youngjae gave a halfhearted shrug, but seemed to take the advice well enough to at least ponder Yongguk’s words, and the elder turned to Jongup. “You did good, but be careful how much you work your runes. That dodge was necessary, enchanting your blade was not. Its silver, it’ll go through without assistance. You’ll run yourself dry if you keep wasting the magic they gave you.” Right right, he’d work on that. The advice didn’t feel so serious when they’d downed seventeen vampires in the past five months. It was an impossible feat, and it was only thanks to innovation and teamwork that it had happened. After Youngjae was brought in, the researchers studied his magic, what made him different from everyone else, and used that research to create ways to spread the gift to others. Tattoos made for runes, injections existed to temporarily employ some element into your body. The reason they were successful also, probably, was that they had Youngjae on their team in general, or maybe just because the three had become so close over the months they’d spent together.

The walk to the tiny, two bedroom house the VED erected for them to live closer to the city was instinctual by this point, and Jongup sighed in relief as the door swung shut behind them and they were finally home after a long night. Yongguk immediately went to shower off the dried vampire blood that had splattered over his face, and Jongup found Youngjae collapsed in his bed, having not even taken his shoes off yet. Fighting vampires was exhausting, given that it wasn’t something that humans were supposed to be capable of doing, and Jongup himself barely could wait for Yongguk’s shower to stop running so that he could clean up himself. They would take a break for a few days, rest up, let their sore muscles ease and their trembling nerves settle down before going on another hunt. Even months later, their bodies weren’t entirely prepared for the types of fights that would go down no matter how hard they trained. Jongup rolled up his sleeves, tracing the swirls and sharp edges of the runes tattooed into his skin, their whites, golds, and bronzes shining slightly under the bedroom’s light. The moment the VED had mentioned a method of giving a non-magica powers, Jongup had sprinted to the testing center. Yongguk almost strangled him when he came back with so many tattoos, swearing it was dangerous and risky and everything they couldn’t afford to be. But in the end, he was saved twice by the small boosts to his body, and Yongguk had stopped complaining a while ago. 

A bird’s skull in silver near his right elbow, intended to enhance his night vision and allow his eyes to adjust quickly to the night’s shadows. A bronze, corroding leaf a little under that muffled his footsteps, though that wasn’t so helpful when his always-pounding heartbeat couldn’t safely be quieted. A sharp triangle in gold with swirling, smoke-like designs echoing in its hollow center; This tattoo, on his left wrist, was the one that leaked magic into his blade, spit fire upon a vampire’s veins. He had so many now, he often forgot one or two in times like this where he found comfort in the silence by counting them. One on his shoulder blade that strengthened his bones, one on his ankle that had throbbed for days after it had been stitched in that supposedly made his blood smell unappealing. His favorite ones were the only runes with color, resting confidently on the pulse point of his right wrist. One was red, and one was yellow, one for each of his teammates. Yongguk had a yellow and a green one, Youngjae had red and green. Jongup grazed his fingers over the two tiny runes, could feel two separate pulses thumping confidently under his fingertips. If someone’s heart was pounding, if someone’s heart had stopped, he would know as simply as this. Often times on days that drew without sleep, he would find himself holding these runes softly, feeling the gentle, steady pounding of Youngjae’s heartbeat, then Yongguk’s, then back; He’d seen Youngjae subconsciously doing the same once or twice, but the other would never admit it. 

“Shower’s done. Uppie, you’re next.” Yongguk passed the open doorway, rubbing his towel loosely through his dark hair, grey shirt darkening where the water soaked deepest into it. He paused when he noticed Jongup’s staring fondly at the pulsepoint runes, not bothering to pretend like he wasn’t doing it, not when they were practically family. A gentle smile creased over the leader’s face and he patted Jongup on the shoulder after the younger stood to take his shower. “Make sure to go to bed after you wash up. Don’t think I don’t see the light from your laptop from under the door. Youngjae might be able to sleep through it, but you won’t be at your best with such a fucky sleep schedule.” Jongup smiled meekly in surrender before brushing past and shutting the bathroom door behind him. 

Four hours later, despite Yongguk’s concern, Jongup found himself shrouded in the white light from his screen, chewing his corn puffs slowly as to not risk Youngjae waking from the crunch. His fingers danced softly over the keys, not pressing any of them as he was waiting for a response, the tiny chat box showing three flashing dots before a message popped up. 

Mul: ‘Seriously, your family sounds so cool. My mom is so strict, I think she’d have a fit if she caught me talking to a stranger on the internet.’ 

Jongup laughed, the silent type that was more like a spurt of air from the nose, before quickly ushering a response. 

Daseot: ‘I don’t know about that. My oldest brother told me earlier today not to stay up too late. It’s a weekend, it’s not like I have school in the morning or anything.’

Mul: ‘I hear you. Hey, I’ll be right back. My brother’s calling me again.’ 

After sending a simple ‘k’ in response, Jongup found himself staring rather blankly at the screen. It had been around three months now, that he’d been posing as a normal person. A kid who goes to school, who lives with his two older brothers while their parents were away on a business-centered excursion. This person, who’s online name was ‘Mul’ like water, probably would be shocked to find that the ‘regular high school student’ he spoke to every night was one of the top hunters of the VED. But Jongup had to live somehow, and as much as he loved Yongguk and Youngjae, it got exhausting only being able to communicate with two people for weeks on end. Mul didn’t even know that he was mute, it was never mentioned, and a cold, hollow feeling came to relevance as he realized that his only friend outside of the Matoki was someone who knew absolutely nothing about him.   
Mul: ‘I’m back. Jeez, he’s so annoying sometimes. Why do I have to clean the shelves when he’s the one my mom told to do it?’

Jongup quickly plugged the void, smiling as he typed back, ‘Aren’t you like six feet tall? You probably didn’t even have to stand on a chair to do it.’ The response back was almost immediate, and Mul sounded exasperated. ‘Yeah, but still..!’

It was very near five in the morning by the time he felt his eyelids flickering closed on their own accord, and Mul was still the first to say goodnight in the end. Jongup slid his pillows down so that they’d be better for laying than sitting, staring up at the ceiling with heavy, yet somehow still tireless eyes. The silence was unsettling as always, reminding him of the silence echoing through a large, family home that smelled disgustingly of blood that shouldn’t have been spilled there, reminding him of cold eyes that once smiled at him, of cold bodies and his cold, fading heartbeat. Youngjae was right across the room, Yongguk was fast asleep in his bedroom, both very obviously well and healthy given that nothing had happened that night to change such a simple fact. Jongup still pressed his fingers to his pulse point, exhaling slowly and letting his eyes flutter shut as he felt two steady beats throbbing in sync. The silent noise lulled him to sleep, and Yongguk only shot him a concerned glance when he was exhausted in the morning. 

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“Youngjae, you’ve been asleep for at least thirteen hours, wake the hell up.” Yongguk sighed as he shook the magica’s shoulder, the other groaning and hiding his face further into the plush of his pillow. While he’d expected them to become like family, that being his original intention, he really felt like a father when he was half dragging Youngjae to the breakfast table midway through telling Jongup to put some fucking pants on. They were both young, at least younger than he was, still being in their teens despite being top-ranking hunters. Yongguk himself, at twenty-two years old, could at least pretend to be a functioning adult, as exhausting as it was sometimes to be the only one on the team. Despite trauma having forced all of them to grow up beyond what they should have been expected to, Yongguk still found himself babying over Jongup and advising Youngjae more often than he was probably expected to. 

The smell of bacon echoed from the kitchen, and Yongguk eventually found himself doing as per usual and swiping the blankets off of Youngjae’s bed, leaving with them and dropping the pile on the floor in the kitchen. Jongup was just dividing the finished food across three plates, and with the sunlight peeking through the blinds, the image felt rather homey. Youngjae stumbled in, all bedhead and sleepy mumbling, dropping at the table and laying his head down on the wood. A year and a half ago, Yongguk was a freshly graduated, rebellious kid still living with his shitty dad and careless siblings. A year and a half ago he had no idea that Youngjae existed, and Jongup was the chattery, innocent little brother of his boyfriend, nothing more. Despite the drastic changes, despite the pain and the fear they had all suffered through recovering from the Red Moon, Yongguk could somewhat say upon experiencing moments like this that maybe the ‘apocalypse’ wasn’t all so bad.   
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“Where have you been?” Shit. He’d waited so riskily until the sun was beginning to peek over the horizon before returning home, all in homes that Himchan would have passed out in the grandfather chair that he was currently sitting cross-legged upon like a throne. He usually didn’t stay out so late, he really didn’t, but there was a party on sixth street, and the humans were beginning to forget what they should be so afraid of in dark alleys. Like their little mint-leaf necklaces could protect them; Didn’t they know he could still get his share of blood from anywhere else in their bodies?

“I was feeding,” the young man with crimson hair exclaimed honestly, blinking quickly like he were being accused of something he had not done, though him going out for the drink was the least of why Himchan was probably pissed. “You were feeding? Tell me why you smell like booze.” Booze, fucking oldie. Daehyun held his grin, since Himchan’s nagging was more of an annoyance than something to actually be feared after having to hear it for eighty-three years. “I told you to feed quietly. Picking drunk girls from a party isn’t-” Himchan jabbed his finger in the air toward’s Daehyun’s collar bones, where the other hadn’t even tried to hide hickeys that were already beginning to fade. “-anything near quiet.”   
“Actually, I fed from a guy today. He was really cute, even told me that it felt good.” Himchan’s eyes shot into slits, and he knew Daehyun was fucking with him but still was obviously annoyed. Daehyun on the other hand was so tired of conversations like this that they were almost jokes to him. ‘Where have you been?’ ‘Stop being so obvious,’ ‘Stay discreet.’ Other vampires had fucking field days, so why couldn’t he take a sip at a party or two? Himchan was so dedicated to them following a certain standard that it felt like he would be scolded for coughing if there was nothing else to go off about. 

If you drink from a human, make sure you take enough that it dies. Only drink from humans that are unable to see your face. Don’t drink from anyone that smells like magic. Don’t hunt for fun, find a suitable target and get it over with quickly. Rule after rule after rule. Daehyun had once mumbled that he wouldn’t have let Himchan turn him if he’d known he’d be treated like a five year old well into his eighties. He actually had to comfort the master after his words unexpectedly hit the elder far more harshly than intended.   
“Daehyun, you know there are reasons for these rules. Our coven is a direct representation of Jaehwan’s, and his reputation is what keeps us in such a good home with plenty of money to go around.” Right right. Himchan’s master, Jaehwan, was always the conversation ender. If Daehyun was caught at a party grinding up with a human, it would directly affect the vampire community’s image of his master, Himchan, who was supposed to teach him not to do such things. In turn, it would also scald Jaehwan’s image, who should’ve taught Himchan how to raise his children, and Jaehwan was a high ranking official who thought very highly of his image. 

“I wore a mask to the party, didn’t talk to anyone or interact with anyone except the human I just mentioned, who I lured outside and killed before he could even see what my face looked like away from all the strobe lights. I’m being careful Himchan, I’m just not being a prude. Staying cooped up all day is unhealthy anyway.” Himchan didn’t respond, rising from his chair and pacing to the kitchen, all granite counters, stainless steel appliances, and dark, hardwood shelving. “You’re reckless, Daehyun, and that’ll be the death of you. I care about you. You shouldn’t make a name of yourself, there’s too much competition happening with elections coming up and I’m sure Jaehwan’s competitors are watching for something to use against him.” 

Daehyun, despite what could be considered an argument taking place, followed Himchan obediently into the kitchen, sitting down at one of the leather bar stools. He frowned as his master and the metaphorical mom of their tiny coven opened the fridge and slipped out one of the clumpier blood bags, poking a straw into it with no expression towards the fact that there were more appealing selections left in the fridge. Himchan was always the type to put the coven before all else, including his own comfort. “At least get a better one, that one looks ready to be thrown in the trash,” Daehyun mumbled, resting his head on the counter with a pout. Himchan blinked over and stared at him for a long while before slowly responding, “I’ve lived when meals were scarce and blood was plagued, Daehyun. I’m not picky with my meals.”

A slow creak interrupted their conversation, and both of the kitchen’s occupants gazed towards one of the doors where a young blonde was stretching his arms above his head, almost smacking his elbows on the doorframe as he did so. “Finally coming out of your den?” Daehyun joked, and his grin was met with a soft, tired glare. Junhong was almost the exact opposite of Daehyun. While Daehyun preferred noise and parties, intimacy and intensity, Junhong spent most days curled up under his blankets, only really leaving the house to go on quiet walks or to feed when there weren’t any fresh blood bags in the fridge. He was Himchan’s baby, only having been turned nine months ago. Physically he had adjusted just fine to becoming a vampire; His fangs had grown in nicely, his eyes were a beautiful shade of rosy pink that was a rather uncommon tint on the red-scale for vampire irises to be. Mentally however was a different story, and Daehyun easily knew it was unusual for the younger to still be scared to hunt or feed almost a year past his rebirth. But Himchan cared about him, and through the emotional connection that bonded a coven beyond average capability, Daehyun cared about him too. 

“You look like shit,” Junhong mumbled, not looking at anyone in particular but obviously directing the words at Daehyun since there was no way in hell that Himchan would allow such words to be said to himself. Daehyun scoffed, running his hand halfheartedly through his hair as if that would whisk off the crusty, dried vodka sticking the strands together awkwardly. He couldn’t help that his target had been far past tipsy, and he couldn’t help that drunks just loved dumping alcohol on literally everything in sight, him being one of these things. “Well you look like a fucking cave giraffe, but I’m not saying anything.”

“Both of you shut up,” Himchan groaned, finishing the blood bag and dropping the remaining plastic into the trash. “It’s too damn late for things like this.” Daehyun whisked around, grinning brightly, “Then go to bed, old man,” he slurred out, and Daehyun never heard Zelo’s door click back shut over the noise of Himchan blasting off comments about respect of elders and not acting like a child when he was almost ninety years old. 

“Whatever,” the eldest finally grumbled, taking huffing footsteps to the desk in the living room and sitting down, tsking under his breath when a bored Daehyun curiously followed him. “Jaehwan sent me a stack of letters to run through anyway, so it’s not like I’ll be able to rest much. You, however, should go shower that gunk out of your hair and go to sleep.” Feeling like he patronized his master enough for today, Daehyun did just that. By the time he was twisting the water off and stepping out, the foggy mirror showed that the hickeys that had littered his neck so vibrantly had already faded in their healing process, all smooth skin and emptiness. He wondered why he preferred it like it was before, but quickly shoved that thought aside. As much as he griped over it, Himchan wasn’t wrong in saying that Jaehwan’s reputation heavily affected their wellbeing. Falling back into his bed, Daehyun sighed as he thought back to the three missions Jaehwan had already sent them on in the past year or so. A human’s assassination, robbing a fellow vampire, taking some humans off the streets to fill his feeder bars, all complicated things that didn’t quite fall in place on the political spectrum that Jaehwan was supposed to be walking. But he wasn’t really one for politics, never had been, and fell asleep rather wishing that there was someone to lay with that he wouldn’t have to kill by morning. 


	5. Ignite

The screech of an alarm clock ignited through a silent room, and the lazy hand that smacked it silent fell limp immediately after. Yongguk told them to get some good rest, and Jongup really had intended to, but everytime he closed his eyes his thoughts would drift into a territory he didn’t feel safe wandering. A small light flashed diligently from the side of his laptop, which was perched on the pillow beside his head like a beloved pet. He needed to plug it in while they went out tonight so that it would be fully charged when they returned. 

Youngjae hadn’t shaken to the noise, but he’d always been a heavier sleeper. Jongup stretched halfheartedly as he rose from the bed only moments after waking, crossing the room and dropping down to sit beside the elder. He always felt guilty for waking Youngjae, who only ever looked entirely at peace in his sleep, but there wasn’t time for peace tonight when they had a mission from headquarters to attend to. 

Jongup poked the other’s squirrely nose, ran his hand messily over Youngjae’s cheek like a child trying to wipe paint off its hand, and the other’s eyes scrunched up in irritation. “Uppie, stop-” he groaned, voice gravelly from sleep, body shifting just enough that the offending hand would no longer be touching him. It only took a few more minutes before Youngjae had come to consciousness enough to remember that there was a reason he was being shaken awake, and it only took moments for him to be standing afterwards, sleep still heavy in his eyes. Right on cue, Yongguk peeked into the room, releasing a held breath as he assured that both of his teammates were awake. 

No words were exchanged between the three as they washed up, dressed, ate, and began to prepare their gear. Jongup believed that no matter how many vampires they killed, the act of going on a hunt with just the three of them would always be something terrifying. The tension clogged their throats, spun through their chests, as if their bodies were testing the adrenaline for when it would be needed in a few hours. Jongup poked at each of the runes tattooed into his arms, a growing habit as he tested that each one was functioning properly. Youngjae was zoned out, poking at his toast and leaving small scorch marks in the bread until Yongguk finally led his wrist away from the plate, bringing him back to reality. Yongguk himself was stiff as stone, brisking their dirty plates into the sink for someone to deal with later, exiting the room silently in hyperfocus to check if their bags had all the right equipment. 

It was going to be a chilly night, and Jongup somewhat wished that he could layer his clothing better without it impairing his movement. A simple black jacket would have to do, and Yongguk had dressed similarly, all black and efficiency. Youngjae had his hands shoved into the pockets of tight, shredded skinny jeans, a red plaid blazer hanging over a simple black t-shirt. His head was bowed, and Jongup sometimes wished that he could take Youngjae’s place as the bait just to lift the burden from the other. Yongguk had tried a few times, he still did on Youngjae’s fever nights where the magica was too ill to get out of bed, but they’d learned by experience that vampires loved Youngjae’s blood more than anything. Yongguk was sure that it was the magic in it, making their fellow hunter smell more unique than the other prey. Perhaps if he hadn’t gotten the tattoo that made his blood smell like rot he could’ve told Youngjae to sit this one out, but he couldn’t really take it back now. 

“Headquarters gave us a face this time,” Yongguk stated, breaking the ongoing silence and tension as he leaned back against the locked front door. His hands held firmly to a small photo, and after a moment of gazing down at it, he turned it for the other two to see. “This vampire specifically is the one we’re after.” Jongup memorized the image quickly. Through the projection of a blue neon light, there was a person to the side of the frame. Somewhat young with a broad jaw and dyed blonde hair. The vampire was glaring a storm, and its hazy red eyes were like daggers even in a photo. “I doubt it asked for a selfie then let the photographer go,” Youngjae muttered, legs swinging slowly as he sat back on the kitchen table. “That one looks pissed as hell. How did the photographer live?” 

Yongguk’s voice was low in response. “She didn’t. Lee Yoobin, age 16. She was in a video call with her boyfriend, who was worried about her having to walk home after sunset. Her boyfriend saved the call to show to the VED for evidence. This is a screenshot of what Yoobin saw moments before she was killed.” Silence. Jongup never liked how heavy their job felt, how no matter how many lives they watched be torn away they could never get used to the drop in one’s chest when another was ripped from the world. 

“We suspect this is a serial case,” Yongguk continued, not seeming fond of the idea of letting his team’s thoughts linger in such heavy sadness for too long. “Most victims of an attack are found with little to no blood left in their bodies, bites usually in the neck somewhere, and minimal physical damage. Yoobin, along with seven other bodies, have been the exact opposite.” Youngjae’s fingers slowly tightened on the table’s edge as he filled in for what Yongguk was implying. “So this thing’s just tearing them apart and not actually drinking from them?” The leader slowly nodded, and Jongup wasn’t prepared for the wave of anger that surged through his stomach at this. He hated vampires, hated them with an undying passion, and his hate only grew every time he heard of something like this. Brutally killing, not even gaining sustenance, only doing it for the hell of it.

Youngjae’s words were the same his own, if only he were able to voice them. “Then let’s kill this bastard,” the magica stated calmly before pushing himself from the table, readjusting the darts strapped loosely to his belt and stretching his arms out in front of him. Jongup followed the two out the door and down the street towards the parking lot, staying a foot or so back so he could think clearly over their continued conversation. A vampire that shredded humans to pieces was far different from what they normally went up against. He’d seen a teammate get an arm ripped off in their trainee days, but even something like that that plagued his nightmares even now wasn’t on the same scale as what they were about to face. They’d have to be careful, more careful than usual. A vampire that killed for sustenance usually either killed quickly or tried not to injure their prey at all to keep as much blood from spilling to the ground as possible. However, a vampire that was in the habit of torturing and goring would be willing to do much more damage; If it had no interest in drinking the victim’s blood, it wouldn’t care how much the victim loses in the initial struggle. 

Jongup whipped out his phone, quickly typing and hurrying up to the other two, holding out the device to be read by whoever took it first. It was Youngjae, who paused mid-sentence and scanned Jongup’s words with a frown. “You’re right that it would be dangerous,” he muttered after a moment, hanging the phone to Yongguk. Jongup had typed rather bluntly that they shouldn’t use Youngjae as bait for this hunt. Yongguk nodded as well, gently giving the phone back to Jongup and sighing. “We need to draw him out somehow…” turning to Youngjae, the leader’s eyes were laden with worry. “But if he’s coming to maul, there’s a lot more danger. We can get a biter off of you pretty quickly, but-”

“I’ll be fine,” Youngjae assured, quickening his steps as if he didn’t want the conversation to keep going. “It’s like you said, there’s not really any way to get him to come to us unless we have a bait of sorts. I’ll just hang in an alley, somewhere he’d have to come at me head on so I can see him before he attacks. If he touches me its game over for him anyway, he’ll be burned to a crisp.” Jongup shook his head quickly, forcing a noise of unease out, but Youngjae was determined. “Unless you can think of a better way, we’re not going to just sit here hoping he gets ballsy enough to attack three armed humans who are obviously waiting for him. The longer we put this hunt off, the more people are likely to get hurt. We have to get rid of this guy as soon as possible right? This is the best way.” 

The air was quiet as they reached the black SUV the VED entrusted them with, Yongguk’s hand pausing on the handle to the driver’s seat before he flung the door open and slid in. Youngjae in the backseat had distant eyes as he adjusted his flannel, his clothes that resembled those of a college student rather than a hunter. Jongup found himself matching Yongguk in watching the magica through the rearview mirror as they began their drive towards the deeper part of the city. 

“Youngjae, listen to me seriously, alright?” Yongguk started, and the younger sighed at the leader’s overwhelming concern but didn’t argue. “I know that you’re strong. You know that you’re strong, and you don’t have to prove it. If you don’t think you can do this, we can go back home and figure out another method by tomorrow. I don’t want you getting messed up like the kids in those pictures.” Youngjae was quiet, and Jongup could feel his unease despite how hard he tried to hide it. Perhaps it was because Youngjae had so much potential, was so talented with his fire, so gifted. Perhaps it was because of this that he believed himself invincible, but in all that he was fine being reckless before, tonight wasn’t the night to try his luck. 

“The other night you put yourself into danger. Don’t do that tonight. Don’t chance anything, don’t take risks. You’re family and I can’t risk losing you tonight.” Yongguk’s voice was heavy in the surrounding silence, the road noise so quiet in comparison to the gravel of his tone. Youngjae nodded meekly, and all too quietly responded, “You won’t lose me. Let’s get this over with okay?” 

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“You’re going out again?” Junhong cocked an eyebrow, making sure his scan of the accused vampire’s body was obvious. He wondered how Daehyun had planned to defend himself if it were Himchan sitting in this chair rather than him; He could hardly say he was going out to feed if he’d made such an effort to style himself so well. Ripped jeans, black button down, red bangs styled to the side and the contours of his face detailed with makeup. Daehyun was truly a beautiful being, if only it weren’t ruined by his cocky attitude.

“So what if I am? Are you coming with me?” He then did a similar scan of the younger vampire’s appearance, sweat pants and bed head, then grinned loosely. “Nevermind. I don’t really want to be seen around you right now.” 

“Asshole,” Junhong murmured before leaning back into the armchair, minimizing the tab on his laptop and yanking his earbuds out. “Himchan’s been extra irritated tonight, some drama with Jaehwan’s client.” Daehyun shrugged, stepping to the decorative mirror hanging beside him and readjusting the fallen strands of his bangs as he replied, “That’s his problem then. So what if I want to have a good time with my meals. It’s better than drinking clotted garbage every night. I don’t know how you two do it, seriously.” 

Junhong groaned, “I don’t know how you do it, honestly. Clubs are overwhelming, don’t you get dizzy with all of that rushing blood around?” Daehyun reached down to slip on his shoes at the entrance, glancing back to his brother with a quick, playful wink. “That’s what’s so great about it, Junnie. You’ll understand it better when you’re more mature.” 

There was a thunk from the room beside them, something bumping into the wall, and both of the younger vampires in the coven paused to listen in case the door ended up opening. “Just… get back earlier than usual?” Junhong asked with a sigh, slipping his earbuds back in and leaning back to a comfier position in the chair. “Himchan hasn’t gotten to feed from an actual source in days since he’s been so busy. The least we can do for him is not add more trouble.” 

Daehyun nodded, his expression sincere, and his hand faltered on the doorknob as if he were even considering not leaving at all for a moment. But he was addicted in a sense to the buzz of life that vampires could never replicate, and with a quick wave to the younger, he was gone in a flash towards the ever present lights of the city. 

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Human parties weren’t the same as before the Red Moon. Daehyun had concluded this without much difficulty. Humans had difficulty drinking and dancing when they always feared that they’d be killed before morning, and even though clubs like these were supposedly protected with little trinkets and wards, there was always a buzz of unease that didn’t flow right with the music, a hesitation that wasn’t supposed to exist in places like this. 

Daehyun understood though. If he were human, he’d easily be uncomfortable too. Walking past the door, he had his phone held to his ear like he were mid-call, yelling through the pump of the bass as if he were asking where his friends were in the building. They always got suspicious that he was wearing sunglasses at night, but the bouncers like most of the clubbers at least decently trusted the large, blue wards painted on all of the doors, windows, and walls of the small, rundown building. Of course if those wards were real, Daehyun wouldn’t have been able to enter in the first place, or would experience extreme pain in trying to do so. 

But the swirling symbols in blue spray paint weren’t real wards and were never intended to be, because even in a semi-apocalypse, humans found no end to their laziness and greed. 

He was grateful for it either way, for the ease of access into a building where humans felt at least somewhat safe until they were drunk enough to not worry about safety at all. Under the guise of being just another human out to pretend like monsters didn’t roam the night streets, Daehyun tucked his shades into his pocket, the darkness of the room easily being enough to mask his unique eye color now, stepping out into the crowd with the intention of becoming one with it. Hardly any time after entering the swarm of humans, he found his arms curled around the waist of a small woman, the scent of her blood vivid as she danced. Her eyes were hooded as she leaned back to look at him, and the corner of her tinted lips perked up as she noticed a rather attractive man behind her. Past her blood, sweat, and hints of perfume, Daehyun could easily smell alcohol and decided that she would do well as his meal for tonight. 

Thirty minutes of dancing, and she was the one pulling him out the back door of the club, as Daehyun always found that it was easier to bite into someone who had the intention of getting intimate in the first place. Her hand was soft and damp with sweat, and her decorated nails so gently poked against his skin. The alley reeked of weed and vomit, and Daehyun fell back against the wall at her push despite how it felt feather-light against his chest. Her lips on his neck was almost ironic, sloppy and desperate, and the only the he didn’t like about finding victims in this way was how he almost felt like he was taking advantage, despite how silly that concept seemed. Vampires couldn’t take advantage of humans, Himchan would argue, humans that only existed to feed them, but even after eighty-three years he couldn’t help but feel guilty as he guided the girl’s body gently like a doll, turning them so that she was against the wall now. Her eyes were so gentle, so heavy and wanting as they scanned up his chest, shirt held to his firm stomach with the wetness of her sweat that had been against him earlier, pausing on the lipstick she’d left on his neck before they fluttered up.

Daehyun could always see the exact moment that the humans he drank from realized what mistake they had made, the moment where they finally looked into his eyes and saw red. It always hit them in a daze, because he never drank from someone sober, always like a buzz of confusion as if they knew there was something wrong but couldn’t pinpoint what. Leaning down to kiss her cheek, her jaw, her neck, Daehyun held her gently as he slowly sunk his teeth in. She opened her mouth as if to scream and only whimpered, kept whimpering as he drank, too lost in a drunken haze to scream, to struggle. He drank until her heavy eyes had fallen shut, until her heartbeat was a flutter under his palm, and then he pulled away, guiding her as she slid down the wall to the ground so that she wouldn’t hit her head to hard. He licked his lips, the bitter of alcohol tinting her blood, and there was always an urge to just drink until she was drained because even now he wasn’t fully satisfied. 

Instead, he left her in the alley, still whimpering in her hardly conscious state, left her alive like he occasionally did and shoved his hands into his pocket as he made his way back home. He still had some time to kill, and normally he would’ve spent it roaming the city. But Junhong had requested that he come back soon, and as disobedient as he was, going out every night against Himchan’s will, drinking from humans and leaving them alive, he didn’t like seeing his master stressed, knowing that Himchan would be anyway because no matter how early he got home, he always smelled like humans and alcohol after going out. 

The sights were the same on the way home as always, and he didn’t pay much mind to them until suddenly something was different. It was a scent, a mild sound, it was a heartbeat… maybe more than just one? It was blood, but it almost smelled sweet in a way that was almost uncomfortably familiar, though he couldn’t recall from where. Pausing in his steps, Daehyun considered whether this deviance from the usual was something he should investigate. At the very least it could play as an excuse; Rather than going out to feed and party, he could say that he was just going on a walk and came across something strange. Of course, the scent of humans and the scent of alcohol was a dead giveaway as to where he’d really gone, but Daehyun was never one to care too much about the accuracy of his lies, and Himchan had always told him he was too curious for his own good. 

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The wall was cold against his back, the thin flannel hardly giving him any warmth in the chilly night. Youngjae bit his lip, trying to keep from shivering and knowing that he was going to anyway. He blamed the trembles on the cold, but a voice in his head argued that this was just an excuse. He told that voice to shut up rather quickly. The alley was darker than he would’ve preferred, but the three walls around him meant there was only one direction for the vampire to come at him from, while any other way would leave him open for attack from multiple sides. 

Jongup was watching from the safety of a warded building, scanning the street that split into the alley from the window, one of his many tattoos granting him night vision that would help greatly in times like this where Youngjae himself could hardly see anything between the streetlamp thirty feet away and where he stood. Yongguk was with Jongup, waiting to rush out and attack the vampire that would attack Youngjae. It was a simple method of hunting, one that they’d used successfully countless numbers of times now. Youngjae still never felt safe with how far away they were. He had a number of polka-dot scars on his neck to show for how many times they hadn’t made it to his location from their hideout in time. 

But it was what they had to do. If they weren’t hiding in a warded building, or even just in the car, vampires would hear their heartbeats and expect the trap before falling into it. Youngjae had to be the only human out for it to work, and it always did. The magic in his blood was like a drug, and vampires always mentioned how sweet he tasted as they held him still and sucked at his skin. He shivered at the memory, tapped his fingers at the wall behind him as to try and distract himself. He’d signed up for this before, and Yongguk would pull him out in seconds if he stated that he was uncomfortable, but he wouldn’t. The reason why they were the best hunters in the VED was because Youngjae was willing to stand alone in a night filled with demons, was willing to hold back his flames just long enough for Jongup to shove a silver dagger into the vampire’s back as it was too distracted sapping his life away to notice. 

But tonight was different, and Youngjae finally admitted to himself that he was scared. A bite to the neck wasn’t horrible since he always could rely on his team to kill the thing drinking from him before it took too much, and he never felt more than uncomfortable or woozy after. There was actual danger tonight, and there was a chance that he’d be dead or dying before the seconds it would take for the other two to come save him. If he saw the vampire coming, if he was prepared, he could ignite it and run; Usually the fact that they were on fire had them writhing, in too much pain to give chase. But he had no way of predicting how fast this one was. If he blinked at the wrong moment, if he looked away for a second and it came… 

It would be too late, just like that. 

There was also always a chance that a different vampire than the brutalist they were after could come, but it was a low one. They’d learned after endless hunts that vampires held territories, and he was currently standing smack dab in the center of where all of its previous kills had taken place. 

Maybe it wouldn’t come at all. But that wasn’t something he should be wishing, not when they were supposed to be killing the thing tonight. 

Silence rang in his ears like chimes, and Youngjae put aside thoughts of the danger to focus on the road ahead of him, on the street light in how it consistently shone on nothing, on how vacant the roads were now in comparison to before the Red Moon, where this area would be flooded with clubbers, drinkers, and all sorts of other people looking for a good time out. Neon signs had gone dim since then, and Youngjae wondered if things would ever be the same as they were before, knowing rather obviously that they wouldn’t. He yawned, stepped out from the wall and stretched his arms before leaning back against it once more. It was a cold night, cold and windy, and-

There was a motion that blurred under the streetlight twenty feet away, and Youngjae willed the magic into his palms a second too late. 

He yelled as loudly as he could as his entire body was slammed against the wall behind him, almost instinctive at this point after it became the usual cue for Yongguk and Jongup to come running on hunts like this. Adrenaline flooding his veins as the vampire’s large hands splayed over his ribs, Youngjae scrambled to grab the shadowed form pressing against him but he wasn’t prepared for his wrists to be grabbed in the figure’s gloved fist and yanked down. “I knew you smelled like magic,” the vampire breathed in his ear, voice tinted with a giggle of excitement. Youngjae ignited his palms, his arms, but the vampire’s gloves weren’t igniting. 

The vampire’s lips were pressed underneath his ear, and Youngjae struggled harder as he could feel the poke of fangs past the monster’s hot breath as it talked. “Sweet, like honey, that’s what you smell like. Maybe I’ll jar some of your blood for later, hmm?” Where were Yongguk and Jongup?! Did they not hear him yell? Youngjae’s heart was pounding, and he considered in horror that perhaps the walls of the alley had muffled his cry, that perhaps they had blinked or turned away just in time to miss the blur of the vampire diving for its prey. 

The fangs sunk in deep without hesitation, and Youngjae gasped with pain, his eyes flooding with tears that he refused to let spill as he kept trying to jerk his hands out of the vampire’s grasp without use. Its gloves had to be fireproof, there was no other explanation as to why it wouldn’t be hurt by this. If he could just get his hands free he could do more, do something, but he wasn’t able to ignite his body anywhere above his upper chest, wasn’t able to send fire into the vampire’s mouth through the bite it was currently sucking on. 

The creature moaned against his neck at the taste of his blood and it was so vulgar, so disgusting, Youngjae found himself terrified more and more that he wouldn’t be able to get the others’ attention and wouldn’t be able to fight for himself for the first time since they started hunting. In a fit of desperation he brought his knee up and jabbed it towards the vampire’s stomach, but this only had him being slammed harder against the wall, the grip around his wrists tightening before twisting right as the vampire laughed into his neck and pulled away just enough to mumble, “Just because you can set a fire or two makes you think that you’d be anywhere near our level? Humans aren’t anything more than a meal, you’re even tastier than the rest. Just a yummy, arrogant human.” Its talked like speaking to a child, a dog, and Youngjae thrashed from side to side but couldn’t break free of its impossible grip. A second passed and he suddenly wasn’t able to hold back a scream as the vampire chomped fiercely back down into the wound it had already created, grinding its shark-like teeth through the flesh of his neck like butter. He was going to die, he was going to die here with his throat hanging in pieces, he was going to die before Yongguk and Jongup sensed that something was wrong, just because he wasn’t willing to back out of this single hunt, he was going to-

“Youngjae!!” A gunshot burst from the mouth of the alley, and the vampire’s gagged on his blood, jerking against his body before pulling away to see what the hell had shot him. In the process of turning to look behind him, he accidentally loosening his grip on the magica’s wrists. A hard jerk of his hands (despite how one of them throbbed violently with the motion), and he was free. Not taking the time to look for his team, who he knew was rushing towards him as fast as they could, Youngjae grabbed the distracted vampire by the hair, yanked its head down to his level and growled, “Fucking scum,” before its hair, then its head, were all coated with fire. The beast writhed and dropped to the ground, rolling from side to side, clawing at its skin as the fire spread relentlessly, and Yongguk shot one more time for good measure right into the heart. They didn’t wait for the flames to fade to declare the vampire dead; It was gone not long after it stopped screaming. 

“Youngjae,” Yongguk breathed again, rushing up to the smaller male and pulling him into a tight hug. Youngjae flinched, not so familiar or comfortable with this kind of contact yet; He trusted Jongup and Yongguk more than anyone else in the world, but physical contact was never something he had good experience with. As if remembering this, the leader released him. “I’m so glad you’re okay. We heard you yell just a second ago but by the time we got here…” So they hadn’t heard him yell the first time. Youngjae noted this rather numbly, as if trying to make a mental note of what not to do next time past the adrenaline, fear, and pain fogging his mind like a haze. 

Jongup reached out and gingerly took the magica’s left wrist into his hands, even the delicate contact sending a flare of pain up the elder’s arm and he flinched as the younger didn’t let him retract. Yongguk looked down, frowning deeply. He often felt responsible for their injuries, even if in the end it was probably Youngjae’s fault for not screaming louder, or for saying that he’d go through with such a dangerous baiting tactic despite possible consequences. “Looks sprained, but hopefully not broken,” Yongguk muttered, and Youngjae jerked his hand back to hold it gently to his chest once Jongup finally released it. The younger glanced up and swallowed tightly before dropping to the asphalt and digging in his bag, probably for a bandage. Yongguk’s eyes were fearful and shocked as he focused onto the bloody wound under Youngjae’s ear. “Your neck is…” 

He didn’t want to see it. He had felt tooth by tooth how the vampire known for shredding humans to pieces had grinded its jaw into his throat, and the blood he could still feel rushing from the wound in pulses left nothing to the imagination. Jongup stood again and carefully leaned Youngjae back against the wall, taking a gauze pad that he’d slathered with antiseptics and pressing it against the wound, holding it there and allowing Youngjae to dig his nails into the muscle of his arm and Yongguk loosely wrapped medical tape around to keep it still. “This’ll do for now,” Yongguk explained softly, sympathetically, but Youngjae was exhausted from the blood loss and the fear and his entire body hurt horribly and he wasn’t in the mood for pity at the moment. “We’ll get you back and clean the wound a bit better, but for now let’s get off the streets.”

The entire way back, he couldn’t help but remember the struggle, couldn’t help but fall back to the thoughts that he’d intended to keep suppressed forever. The vampire’s whiny voice echoed in pulses through his head. ‘Just a yummy, arrogant human.’ Jongup had typed something, was holding out the phone to him, but Youngjae kept walking like he didn’t see it, hands shoved deep into his pockets and fisting tightly into the fabric there. How many times would he fall helpless to a vampire? This was the third now, the third time that his life was in the hands of a creature that toyed with him like a cat to a mouse, no matter how hard he trained, no matter how hot his flames burned. 

The anger seethed through him, and he stopped in his tracks, muttering, “I’m going to go calm down. Go home without me.” Jongup and Yongguk both stopped at the same time, glancing to each other, then to him. Jongup typed quickly, holding up his phone that read, “We still need to clean your neck. The blood is going to attract more vampires, and your wrist needs to be wrapped up.” 

“I’ll come home later for that. Just… I need space.” Without waiting for further argument, he headed a different route through the residential area that they resided in, inhaling the night air like he was starved for it as the memories flooded in a swarm. His body limp in fear as his neck was being sucked from after he’d watched every one of the gang members chasing him fall dead, the vampire today’s vice-like grip on his wrists, leaving him unable to escape, the first time he was bitten, bright red eyes and a gentle, playful voice that promised he’d make a great feeder. With a yell of frustration he kicked at a rock, sent it flying far across the street, but the anger still fueled every step until he was collapsing into the swing at the park, almost daring for a vampire to try to attack him when he was in a mood like this. But the night breathed on in silence, and Youngjae followed suit, kicking at the sawdust under his feet until all that was left in a circle under his swing was empty, black tarp. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Himchan slammed the phone down onto the receiver only once he was entirely sure that Jaehwan had hung up before him. Fucking hell, was everything going to happen in the span of a week? He’d gone years without anything better to do than regulate his ‘children’ and train Junhong, and suddenly everything seemed to be exploding at once. First Daehyun hitting a rebellious phase at almost ninety years old, then Jaehwan’s decision to run for the highest position in the kingdom that he could score. Himchan wished now that he had abandoned his master like so many of his brethren had, at least then he wouldn’t be held up to so much of the obligation that Jaehwan didn’t have time to deal with. But Himchan already didn’t want Daehyun or Junhong getting involved with politics. He was perfectly fine being something like a mercenary group, where Jaehwan would tell them who to kill and they’d kill them, human or vampire, anyone in his way. 

Killing was something Himchan could do, but now he was expected to not only get to know, but earn the favor of most of the higher ranked vampires that inhabited the area around Seoul. Jaehwan’s call was only to vent today, the elder vampire having found himself furious that one of the vampires that would rise him to the top, a rather primal sorts of person named Chan, had been found in an alley with the entire upper half of his body burned to a crisp. Himchan wouldn’t say that the man had it coming, given his tendency to go overboard with his meals, but Jaehwan was in a rage over the issue, had rambled on about how Chan was his one-way ticket into a seat at the council and now he’d have to find other connections to sway. Himchan had comforted his master best he could, but Jaehwan never rambled in search of comfort or actual advice, rather using Himchan as a wall to bounce ideas off of until one sounded decent enough to make action of. 

Jaehwan would call him back later, surely, with more information on a murder that Himchan was rather neutral to. Surely he would send them out like he always did to find the people who took down one of his many pawns, but for now, Himchan leaned back into his cushioned chair and let his eyes fall shut with mental exhaustion. The door slammed, surely it was Daehyun coming back from who knew where despite how often Himchan told him to lay low and keep himself out of sight if all possible. But in comparison to Jaehwan or Himchan or many other vampires, Daehyun was still a kid, and Junhong was an infant in the same comparison. He had a lot on his hands, but for now, he just wanted to rest no matter how immortality taught him it was no longer necessary to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! This was a somewhat daehyun/youngjae centered chapter, but this fic is for sure OT6 and will focus on each character in the right moments~ I admit I had a lot of trouble writing this chapter for some reason, since the words didn’t seem to flow right no matter how many times I’ve revised it now, so I’m sorry if it wasn’t so good this time. Even still, please let me know what you think and how you feel. This is a slowburn fic, meaning that the events of the main story won’t seem so obvious until they’re already ticking away. Hopefully it doesn’t seem boring before things begin to spiral into place~ Take care.


	6. Flashback: Attention

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm midway through the next chapter. An event takes place next chapter though that may be confusing if you don't know some of Youngjae's backstory. If you've read Attention then this chapter is irrelevant~ Next update will come soon, so look forward to it! As stated before, this is a flashback chapter that happens around seven months before the main story begins, and its helpful in understanding some conversation that takes place next chapter.

The human reserved a presence at the businessman’s side, but wasn’t someone Daehyun figured was important to take note of. He had a pretty face, though that was apparently common knowledge given how other guests scattered around the convention hall were stealing glances in his direction. His heartbeat thumped sweetly in Daehyun’s ears, but as heavenly as his overall aura was, he was hardly anything special. When he caught notice of Daehyun’s eyes casting over him, he gave a short nod of greeting, but not before his heartbeat stuttered for a split enough moment to indicate fear before it was suppressed by probable years of training; Not many people could recognize a vampire from across the room, but Daehyun was sure this man had done just that. That, putting aside his appearance, was what drew the vampire’s attention.

“Who’s he?” Daehyun purred to Junhong, who was mouthing at a glass of champagne that he didn’t have the tolerance to swallow down. The younger vampire blinked up with soft-lidded eyes, and his breath fogged up the wine glass that he fidgeted between his fingers. “He’s the guy we came to kill. Are you stupid?” The words were harsh but the tone wasn’t, and Daehyun doubted they holstered any actual disrespect. He huffed and nudged his pointing finger further to the left. “Not him, the guy beside him.” Junhong blinked once more, rapid and confused, before turning towards his elder in questioning. “Just an escort probably. Why?” Daehyun whisked his hand through his hair, brushing back bangs that fell into place. His lopsided grin was one of both irritation and rampant excitement; The man in question could cause the mission to take a negative turn, but he always loved when he could see a storm approaching.

“No escort would wear combat boots to a formal dinner. That’s a bodyguard.” He glanced over and could see the cogs churning in Junhong’s mind, but the other didn’t quite seem to understand. “So… he’s a bodyguard then. So what? You think that flimsy pretty boy is going to get in my way?” The younger was scoffing, offended somewhat by the elder vampire’s disregard for his abilities, but Junhong didn’t have the experience that it took to recognize certain things. Daehyun whistled gently, leaning against the table behind him, eyes never leaving the human that kept glancing in their direction, eyes narrowed as if saying ‘I know what you’re planning.’ This truly was going to be fun. “That ‘flimsy pretty boy’ could probably kill you, kid.” Junhong’s eyes darted up at Daehyun’s response, his lips parting to retort, and that was when the red-haired vampire made his move. Lifting up from the table in one fluid motion, Daehyun crossed the room with silent steps. He could feel Junhong’s eyes on his back, the younger’s confusion, his irritation, because Daehyun was intentionally walking with the distinct smoothness of a vampire when they were supposed to be igcognito in this human party and surely someone would notice if he kept it up. But this was a test, this was a game, and things would go to shit anyway if his intuition was right so why not insinuate the issues to bend to his own rules?

The bodyguard tensed as the vampire drew closer, whispered something to Mr. Lee, but the businessman waved him off, clearly more interested in his conversation with the pretty woman in front of him than a risk to his safety. Daehyun chuckled as the shorter male swallowed, but noted that he didn’t reach for any weapon. Three feet away, the bodyguard was making direct eye contact now, and only the two of them and Junhong could see the tension arising as the rest of the party chattered on careless to what was about to unfold. Lee Gunwoo was rich and would be powerful, and any bodyguard would be prepared to fight upon seeing a vampire approaching so closely after the man had made such an obscene speech about the creatures. The common assumption would be that this bodyguard was just ill-experienced, standing there with no stance or weapon, but Daehyun knew better. The radiance of his skin, the caramel tint to his irises, the way his heart stuttered in his ribcage; Daehyun knew a magic user when he saw one.

“You have half a second to back the fuck away before I blow your head off.” The whispered words contrasted harshly with the smooth, honey voice, and no one besides a vampire would have been able to hear what was said under someone’s breath in the room of a party. Daehyun smiled cordially, hesitating in place. He was around three feet away now and the tension was physical, warm, tricking the skin on Daehyun’s face to believe that he was sweating despite having lost that ability when he turned. “Fire. I would’ve thought you’d control something less…” Less abrasive, less intense. Magic melded to its user, not the other way around, and the few humans who had enough of it to manipulate usually had one key spell or overall element that they were inherently more comfortable with than others. Daehyun, even after so many years, had found himself stereotyping that a pretty face would possess a gentle magic. Societal habits. He’d remember to be more open minded next time. The human appeared offended that Daehyun was even still trying to speak to him, let alone how the vampire’s grin hadn’t faded in the slightest. “I told you to screw off,” the man breathed, his fist slowly spreading into an open palm. So the threat wasn’t just for show. Daehyun sighed, checking his watch and noting that Himchan wanted them to wait for the party to be over to kill the businessman. There was no way that could happen though, not if Lee Gunwoo’s bodyguard shuffled him out. Technically they could just kill pretty boy too, but more casualties meant more tracks to cover. “Why?” Daehyun questioned. “Can’t I say hello to the host of this wonderful party?”

“We both know that’s not what you’re here for.” Dark hair, arrogant eyes, a lithe build, and a good brain in his skull. Maybe this human was something to pay attention to after all. “If you know so much then what am I here for?” Right as the human was about to part his lips with some form of retort though, a woman in a bodysuit rushed towards them, weaving right between Daehyun and the magic user to whisper into Lee Gunwoo’s ear. Daehyun picked up what she was saying easily, feeling his body run cold for a split second. “A report came in that there are assassins in the building, you have to go.” The businessman swallowed tightly, head shooting towards the human, who wouldn’t have been able to hear the words the woman had said. “Youngjae, we’re leaving.” Daehyun could see the tension in the magic user’s frame, the way he stood tightly like he wasn’t sure whether to confront Daehyun aloud or follow his employer obediently. Gunwoo didn’t have the patience though and grabbed him by the shoulder, growling, “Are you deaf? We’re going.” With one last glare over his shoulder, the human, Youngjae, whispered, “I better never see you again.” Daehyun shot him a cheeky smile, but the front washed away the moment the two were gone from the room. Their plan was out, and someone had ratted on them.

Junhong was already at Daehyun’s side by the time he’d turned around to return to their table, the kid’s eyes narrowed tightly. “What did you do? Why the hell did they leave?!” Daehyun wanted to smack him. He didn’t do anything. That was the problem. The bodyguard Youngjae was the only person in the room who Daehyun had noted as someone to watch out for, so who’d found out that Gunwoo was about to die? It was a mess, all of it. Himchan was going to be pissed. “We need to go,” Daehyun muttered, not feeling the need to explain himself to some newly turned kid. Junhong was mad, but the blame would be put on the more experienced of the two. Daehyun had more to worry about than the younger did. They made their way out of the convention room, crossing briskly down the long, carpeted hallway towards the faux-gold elevator. The ride down was tense and uncomfortable. How the hell did they get found out?

The doors parted, and the two were frozen as the question hovering in Daehyun’s mind was very harshly answered before them. The smooth tile of the hotel lobby was doused in blood, the puddle still draining out freshly. On the floor was the body of the businessman they’d just watched pace out the door, the contents of his throat splattered out of his neck. His eyes were glazed; Whoever had killed him had to have done it within a minute of them descending to the floor. Daehyun physically took a breath, an old habit from his human days, before stepping out of the elevator and pressing the up button behind him. “Hyung…” It was the first time Junhong had called him that, and the younger’s voice held a tight desperation that Daehyun could only expect from someone recently turned upon seeing such a large amount of blood. “Go drink somewhere else, I’ll be out soon. If you care about our wellbeing don’t tell Himchan anything yet. I can phrase this better than you can.” Junhong swallowed, taking a shuffled step forward as if protesting that he should stay, his pink-tinted eyes going wide as the elevator doors began to close between them. “No. When the police show up I don’t need you licking the fucking blood off the floor. Go.” The other didn’t have any chance to further argue before the doors were clicking closed and Daehyun was twirling around, stepping straight towards the crime scene. Inhuman speed assisted him as he did a walk around the body, noting the almost disgustingly messy fang marks scattered around the gaping wound. It was obvious that this was the work of a vampire.

Daehyun searched through the mental database of vampires that he’d met, but there weren’t many names that came to mind. Himchan had done a decent job in sheltering him from the bad crowd, and none of the rich, snobbish creatures Daehyun had associated with would have the audacity to create such an awful, obvious mess. The good news was that the ‘assassin’ reportedly in the building hadn’t been them; They hadn’t been found out, their cover wasn’t blown. The bad news was that it didn’t matter anymore; Lee Gunwoo was dead. The vampire glanced up, deciding to note the scene surrounding and finding himself intrigued upon glancing towards the reception desk. There were scattered men and women all around, all dead in a similar fashion, as if the vampire had sputtered in and sped person to person, biting and tearing. Daehyun had been searching for one face in particular though, out of curiosity if anything, and took quick paces to crouch beside the pretty-faced human who was leaned up against the hardwood backing of the grandiose counter.

The wood within a foot radius around him was burned black, and his eyes were hazy with exhaustion as a steady trickle of blood trailed down his throat, soaking into his white button-down. He was the only human left alive, and Daehyun almost sickly chuckled at the reason why. A body had been blown two feet away, scorched beyond recognition, but Daehyun figured it belonged to the vampire who’d assaulted the place.

“Remind me not to take a bite out of you,” Daehyun joked under his breath, Youngjae glaring up weakly, his hand shifting into an open palm. The vampire tsked, almost pushing Youngjae’s hand back down to the floor before deciding that he probably shouldn’t touch the magic user who’d just incinerated someone not even a minute before. “Do you really want to do that? The jugular is more vulnerable than you think, even if your windpipe isn’t dangling out of your neck, that bite is going to drain out for a while. You probably shouldn’t waste your energy on a pointless attack, right?” Youngjae scoffed, his head falling back to hit the reception desk behind him. “F.. fuck you. This’ll all be blamed on me you know,” the human breathed, his voice trembling so softly that a human wouldn’t have been able to catch it. It was reasonable to be scared after what he’d probably witnessed, people dropping like flies, the stench of gore permeating the room. “Why would they blame you? Can you rip out fourteen throats in under a minute with your teeth?” Youngjae jerked a bit, his head bowing, and Daehyun remembered that humans were much more sensitive to things like this than vampires were. “Please don’t vomit, I have a sensitive nose.” The human glared up, though he seemed to be having some trouble focusing on Daehyun’s eyes. It seemed the blood loss was taking effect. If he wasn’t in such an urgent situation he might’ve patched the bodyguard’s neck out of respect for his survivability, but he probably shouldn’t waste too much more time before reporting back to Himchan.

“Are you fucking dense?” The human breathed, and Daehyun laughed, pondering why the police hadn’t arrived yet before realizing that they probably hadn’t gotten a report, that all of the people who had witnessed the scene besides him, Junhong, and Youngjae were dead. “If I’m the dense one, then explain to me why you haven’t called the cops yet? You seem smart enough to have considered it already.” Youngjae swallowed, wincing as the motion shifted to the messy bite on the lower part of his neck. “I need to get out of here first,” he breathed, moving as if he was going to stand before stumbling and falling back to the ground. Daehyun watched with amusement and no intention to try and catch him, not quite wanting his hands to be seared off if the human got a little twitchy and decided to burn him. “This guy’s father’ll kill me for not doing my job right. If your friend could’ve waited two fucking hours for me to be gone…”

“You won’t believe it, but I actually had nothing to do with this. Either way..” As fun as the conversation was, it was soon time to go. Daehyun slipped off his thin suit jacket and tossed it to the human, who made no effort to exhaust himself catching it, letting the fabric fall into his lap with a confused knitting of his eyebrows. “Hold this to that wound before you bleed yourself unconscious. You’re too tempting to keep having a casual chat with right now.” It was almost like Youngjae had forgotten that Daehyun was a vampire, but the moment it was mentioned that his blood might be appealing his eyes went wide then narrowed, his hand trembling as it lifted quickly from the ground before falling flat again, too exhausted to hold itself up. This guy was hopeless. “You’re sick… All of you vampires are fucking sick,” the human growled desperately, and Daehyun rolled his eyes, rising from his perched position and glancing around the room. To be honest, he agreed in a way, but things weren’t so black or white as humans always made them seem.

“I’ve never met a human feisty enough to threaten a vampire immediately after being attacked by one. You’re interesting. I’m intrigued.” Daehyun sighed before shaking his head and giving a short wave to the male slumped up against the desk. “Thanks for being the first human to catch my attention, Youngjae-ah. You said it before, that you’d better not see me again. Stick to that. If I didn’t have better things to do, I wouldn’t let a catch like you walk away. My coven’s in need of a feeder and I’ve grown rather fond of you.” With the beautiful human’s horrified expression etched into his mind, the vampire turned and flashed out of the building, taking in the cool air on his neutral skin. Junhong was probably still out feeding, he’d feed all night if he could help it. Daehyun didn’t consider himself to be of the same type, but the sweet aroma of the magic user’s blood still hung like alcohol in the back of his throat, begging to be consumed. Maybe he would break his little courtesy and go searching for Youngjae in the next few days. After all, he easily implied that the next time they’d meet, he’d be far less reluctant to walk away. Daehyun smiled at the memory of that horrified expression, at the human’s piercing glare earlier. He would deal with Himchan’s fury and take out his frustrations on his hunt the next night. He hoped for the human’s sake that he had the sense to leave town after the encounter, but hoped for his own sake that Youngjae wouldn’t, if only to make things more interesting.


	7. Moonlight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this chapter took much longer than I expected. I’m moving again so life is rather hectic right now. I’ll continue writing every day, even if it’s just a little bit, to make sure that updates come regularly. I’m sorry for the hassle. This chapter is a bit slow, but it’s very important. We’re setting up for much bigger events to come, after all. Given that I’m a little distracted with life and work, I’m slightly nervous about the quality of this chapter, so please let me know what you think. Thank you for reading, take care~
> 
> Also: This chapter is rather Youngjae centered, but this story is focused on OT6, so expect to see much more of the others as well as the story progresses.

It was cold as hell, and Youngjae’s stubborn desire to be alone for a while didn’t quite snuff out the urge to to go home and apologize, sit by the heater with Yongguk and wring out his emotions until he felt numb. Shivers wracked through his body, but by now it was habit to ignore them; With the ability to manipulate fire, he was far more immune to temperature fluctuation than most other humans were. He pondered over igniting his fingers, twirling the fire around like he did occasionally to calm down; Sometimes the intensity of the magic running through his veins was too much, sent his heart racing and his body into a feverish state. Releasing it from time to time helped him think straight, destress, but it would be reckless to do such a thing here, in an unwarded area in the middle of the night. It was reckless to be out here in the first place. 

But he couldn’t bring himself to return. There was nothing wrong with Yongguk or Jongup; In fact, they were by far the closest thing to family that Youngjae had anymore, and he appreciated them and their company. Yet, as close as the three of them had become, it had only been seven months since Yongguk picked him up from that alley. Compared to Jongup and Yongguk who had known each other for years before the Massacre, Youngjae still found himself staring across the dinner table, wondering if he deserved to include himself in their bond. They were kind, accepting, caring, they treated him like he had been there from the start and they were patient even when he was snippier than usual. Youngjae didn’t deserve it, and he wondered when they might realize that. On nights where that worry was strong enough to make their affection feel foreign, he needed to escape to something more familiar. This darkness, the solemn whispers of a quiet night; These were familiar, and despite the danger of sitting in this park with a bloodied neck and vampires to fear, he felt momentarily more at ease here than he would be back at home. 

There was still some snow sprinkled over the park, lining the crevices of the playground, melting into mush between the taller blades of grass. Youngjae far preferred winter to summer despite how he’d shiver, because at least he could warm himself up without much difficulty. In the summer he was sick with fevers often, the natural heat of the magic in his body combining with the sunlight. It was summer when Yongguk and Jongup stumbled upon him as well, when he passed out watching his pursuers drop dead and woke to the first clean sheets he’d slept in in weeks. It was summer when the life he’d worked so hard for had fallen apart. It was strange, how in only seven months he was here as a hunter when before he was simply a bodyguard for rich people who were too scared of vampires popping up at their parties and yet too selfish to just cancel nightly events. 

He sighed, letting his head hang back over the bench’s backing. Maybe he would head home soon; Yongguk had been right that his blood would attract vampires if he waited out too long, and knowing Yongguk he’d surely be up all night waiting for Youngjae to return home. It had been an impulsive move to leave in the first place, he did realize this, and yet… 

His legs were stiff when he rose, and the blood had dried itchy and crispy on his skin, all too familiar. Youngjae paid the crescent moon a longing gaze as he made his way out of the park, not bothering to silence his steps as any vampire nearby would surely be able to hear him whether he did so or not. His mind felt fuzzy and numb, it happened from time to time after he overexerted himself. Magic was a rather powerful thing for a human to contain consistently, after all, and Youngjae decided firmly to blame all of his issues on his magical status as often as he took praise for the fire in his veins, understanding from a young age that he himself was a vessel for this fire that fed on his fear, anger, and worry until it was all burned away, leaving him numb, blurry, and empty. 

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The slam of the front door startled him from a hazy sleep he hadn’t intended to fall into, and Yongguk sprung up from the grandfather chair, letting it rock irritably behind him as he hurriedly paced to confirm that Youngjae was still in one piece. He’d been too drawn up on adrenaline to recognize what Youngjae was implying when the younger had demanded time alone, but as the excitement drifted into calm, Yongguk had been on edge, worry and frustration combining into an acid that wore at his nerves. Youngjae had open wounds when he hurried off on his own, open wounds that smelled of unique blood, and being outside at night regardless of what he was capable of was reckless and stupid. Jongup had searched the nearby area for their magica for nearly ten minutes on Yongguk’s orders, but had come back without their newest member in tow, simply signing that Youngjae would come home when he calmed down a bit and that no vampire with a brain would want to encounter him in the mood he surely was in. Yongguk tried to take the words like they were intended, to ease his worry, but even Youngjae couldn’t take a vampire on his own yet. 

Yongguk had been rocking back and forth anxious silence for nearly thirty minutes, but now he was hurrying into the living room, sighing in relief to see Youngjae kicking off his shoes with no new wounds adorning his body. The younger didn’t look up even when Yongguk sighed, his face blank, his eyes cast down at the shoes he’d kicked off like he was hypnotized by something beyond the laces. He got like this from time to time, usually after a bigger hunt or one of his fevers. Yongguk tsked at Youngjae’s current state, huffing a little as he marched forward to take hold of the younger’s arm. 

“Are you done pouting?” he asked sternly, but he couldn’t sound angry towards Youngjae or Jongup if he tried. Youngjae simply nodded, slow and simple, and Yongguk took to leading him by the forearm towards the kitchen. “You’re lucky you didn’t get attacked again.” Another nod, weak, quiet. Yongguk didn’t need confirmation to know that Youngjae was listening, seven months was plenty of time to recognize that sort of thing just from being in the same room. “Nothing happened right?” Yongguk asked, used enough to Jongup’s silence to understand Youngjae’s, and Youngjae shook his head slowly, his voice slightly raspy from the cold outside as he finally answered, “Nothing happened. I’m sorry for leaving.” 

“Don’t run off like that again, not at night,” Yongguk responded, but the intensity of his voice decreased dramatically, replaced by an exhaustion that was unsuited for his age. No use in nagging if Youngjae knew what he did was stupid, the kid was thankfully not the type to be rebellious or argue his way out of a scolding. Entering the kitchen, Yongguk gently pushed Youngjae down into one of the chairs surrounding the table they ate at every night and shuffled to the counter, reached up to one of the higher cabinets and pulling down an all too familiar first aid kit. The familiar jar resting inside contained a blessing from the VED, and Yongguk scooped the balm out of the container with two fingers, taking what he’d gathered and quickly smearing it over the clean side of Youngjae’s neck. The younger flinched at the cold, but it was a familiar procedure, something Yongguk always insisted on doing after Youngjae’s first fever with them nearly killed him. More cream, this time applied to his forehead, tinting the pale skin a faded blue color. Wiping the excess on his pants and closing the jar, Yongguk then pulled up a chair and fell back into it, leaning forward to stare at Youngjae, who was similarly staring rather dully at the table beside him. 

“Thanks,” the younger breathed loosely, and Yongguk nodded with a low hum before scooting his chair forward, slowly reaching out for the makeshift bandage that stuck to the other side of Youngjae’s neck, the padding already stained a coppery brown from the blood that had seeped into it. Quick, with a jerk of the wrist, he pulled it off, and Youngjae only slightly flinched at the feeling, it being too familiar after time and time again of having to nurse wounds from a mistake during their hunts. This specific bite was deep, more like two horizontal tears from his pulse point diagonally to his shoulder blade, as the vampire had taken to tearing as he drank. They were lucky that this was the most of the damage, a bite and a sprained wrist. The other victims were missing limbs, gutted and pouring blood; Perhaps the vampire only mutilated his prey after killing them? It would explain why Youngjae had come out of such a long encounter with rather minimal wounds. Contemplation aside, Yongguk was more than relieved that Youngjae was just okay. A bite and a sprain could heal. An amputation could not. 

He repatched the wound without much difficulty, Youngjae still as a statue given that he looked on the verge of passing out. The balm had fully faded into his skin, and Yongguk tucked the excess gauze back into the first aid kit along with the jar, staying close just in case Youngjae fell forward. He nearly had to drag the younger up from the chair, body limp and loose, and Youngjae stumbled against his side for balance as they made their way to the bedroom. Upon opening the door, Yongguk cocked an eyebrow as Jongup quickly (and with attempted subtlety) pushed his laptop from his stomach, closing it softly and glancing up. His eyes dawned with honest relief when he saw Youngjae, hurriedly standing to pull back the blankets on the bed, and the magica barely made it before dropping into the sheets, already dead asleep. 

‘He’s safe.’ Jongup signed. Youngjae didn’t know sign language proficiently enough yet to communicate efficiently past basic and necessary signals, but Yongguk had taken as much time as possible to learn the silent language in the rough days after they found out that Jongup would never speak again. “Luckily,” the eldest responded aloud with a groan, falling back to sit on the foot of Youngjae’s bed, knowing the medicine would have him in a deep enough sleep by now to not be rustled by the noise or movement. The VED had offered the cream to Youngjae when his rare but dangerous fevers became a recurring issue, promising that it would muffle his magic entirely for a few hours, long enough for his body to regain homeostasis. Yongguk had panicked the first time it was applied, where Youngjae was unexpectedly dead asleep in minutes and his body felt far cooler than usual, almost similarly to a corpse. The balm was helpful for preventing fevers, but in all honestly, sometimes Yongguk did abuse the side effect of near sedation. This way, he wouldn’t need to worry about Youngjae doing something rash or having a sudden flare while they slept in mild cases, or lighting the bed on fire in more extreme ones. 

Jongup flopped back onto his own bed, nuzzling his back up against the pillows that were situated for sitting rather than sleeping, and Yongguk commented, “Weren’t you going to bed?” The younger blinked, before quickly signing out, ‘I couldn’t sleep, so I was watching youtube videos.’ Yongguk was skeptical, but he couldn’t think of anything Jongup would be doing that was actually worth questioning. The worst he could be watching was porn, and Yongguk didn’t really care, so there wasn’t much reason to push further. “Alright,” he mumbled, before letting his face fall into his palms, releasing a heavy sigh. “Tonight was fucking insane. We need to make sure nothing like that happens again.” Jongup nodded, slow and steady, eyes flickering between the sleeping magica and the distressed leader, back and forth as if he couldn’t decide what to say in the midst of a rather abrupt conversation. He took a moment before quickly signing, ‘We need to keep a closer watch next time we do a bait. And we shouldn’t-’

A soft buzz had his hands stilling, before falling back into his lap. Yongguk groaned, not making an effort to move until the third buzz, where he dipped his hand into his pocket and whipped out his cellphone, having it open and to his ear in a flash. His exhausted, irritable composure straightened out in a moment, and he rubbed at his eyes as he clearly exclaimed, “Thank you, director.” Jongup blinked at him from across the room, and Yongguk gave a nod as if that was all that was needed. They both knew what the call was about, it was the only reason why the director ever called them, and Jongup seemed a little more tired than a second earlier upon realizing this. 

“Forgive me if this is out of my control, sir, but I’d like to turn this one to a different team. Youngjae nearly got shredded just earlier tonight, we need to rest and reorganize our tactics and mappings so that issues don’t come up again…” 

The director’s voice echoed across the line, and Yongguk found himself falling back to lay rather uncomfortably over the lumps Youngjae’s legs formed in the blanket. “I understand, Agent Bang, but unfortunately we don’t believe any other team is suited for this type of mission. You’ll have five days to recover and regroup, surely that will be enough.” It wouldn’t be, but someone who didn’t actually go out into the field wouldn’t understand. Jongup was opening his laptop again, just barely turning the screen away from Yongguk, not seeming to realize that the elder noticed the subtle motion. “Sir,” Yongguk loosely argued, “at least give us a week. Five days isn’t enough time-”

“I’m sorry, Agent Bang. I’ll give you a full rundown later tonight, but this isn’t something we can afford to wait on. A vampire is hiding and killing within warded areas. We can’t have the public finding out about things like this before we can subdue it, it’ll cause panic.” Right right. Their job was to the public, not each other, and as much as he cared about his team, Yongguk had no authority to decline a hunt that could save lives. “Fine,” he sighed, hoping that the words didn’t sound too disrespectful, though if they did the director didn’t say anything. “Be sure to call me with the specific details by tonight. We need all the time we have to prepare.” A short goodbye, and he was pressing the button to disconnect the line. 

“We’re going out again,” he muttered loosely. “Five days.” Jongup’s eyes were tired and heavy, he blinked to Youngjae, then to Yongguk, then to his laptop as if it were someone who had an influence on the conversation, before quickly signing, ‘I want to sleep now.’ Yongguk nodded, rose from Youngjae’s bed and straightened out the magica’s messy, dark bangs before mumbling an exhausted goodnight. The last thing he saw before slipping the door closed was the blue light of the reopened laptop screen flashing over the wall. 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“Fucking dumbass had it coming.” Jaehwan’s words were sputtered and slurred, and Himchan found difficulty in restraining a sigh at his master’s drunken state. The glass of blood between the man’s slender fingers reeked of alcohol; Old habits die hard, and even after turning, addicts were still addicts. “Letting a human light him up like a torch. What kind of idiot couldn’t have predicted something like that?”

Himchan mocked a stretch, nonchalantly glancing around the dark, expensiver bar to deduce with some relief that no one nearby seemed to be interested in their conversation. Jaehwan wasn’t necessarily quiet, and Chan was just enough of an important figure that bad mouthing him publicly could get them into trouble. Jaehwan’s anger was reasonable in context, but Himchan wished the other would at least be less obvious about it. He’d suggested they have this talk in his office, where there was more privacy and room for Jaehwan to spurt out harsh opinions, but the other wanted to be drunk, and Himchan wasn’t so fond of alcoholic blood being brought into the home. 

“If I recall correctly, Chan wasn’t your only segway into the political field. There’s still Woojin and Minho, who have both expressed interest in sponsoring your campaign. Chan’s death is an unfortunate and inconvenient surprise, yes, but it’s not necessarily problematic for you,” Himchan assured, taking a sip of his own glass of pure blood, silently relishing in how clean and clot-free it was after drinking primarily from old blood bags over the past few days. Jaehwan huffed, downing his glass and banging on the counter for another, the beautiful woman on the other side nodding to him with a knowing, almost pitiful smile. 

“Chan had money up front though, right in my hands by our next meeting! What’s more, he completely funded his own cooperation and was even the son of the vice-chairman! He was the perfect candidate, all ruined by some fucking lucky human with a matchstick…” Himchan cleared his throat tightly, and Jaehwan whipped his head up with narrowed eyes, as if displeased that his rambling was interrupted. Despite having to respect this man as his master and creator, Himchan didn’t falter in speaking anyway. “I didn’t mean to imply that we should just let Chan’s death fade. There was something very interesting in what I… well, Daehyun, found when we went to investigate the body.” Jaehwan rested his chin on the back of his hand, humming with only partial interest, “Go on.” 

“Chan’s a messy drinker, so we took it upon ourselves to find out where his prey had run off to, since there was no human body in the vicinity and I doubt the VED would have confiscated it without also taking Chan’s body. He had blood all over his lip and chin, so I swabbed some of it. Daehyun was the one who commented that it smelled sweeter than usual, so I gave it a taste.” Jaehwan seemed disinterested, as if unsure on where this story was going, but his eyes were halfway focused on Himchan’s face and that would have to make do. He would find interest soon enough. 

“Magic. The sweetness was very clearly magic, once I tasted it.” Sure enough, Jaehwan slowly lifted his head from his hand, eyes dawning with attentiveness where it hadn't been before. “Oh really? Artificial magic or...?” Himchan glanced from side to side once more, reassuring that they really weren’t overheard, his voice dipping into a whisper as he muttered, “Natural. Last human I saw with this kind of power was Daehyun’s mother, and that was ninety years ago. There’s a chance that this human is using artificial magic alongside his natural abilities, especially given all the new innovations the VED has come out with over the past year or so. But blood shouldn’t taste or smell like honey unless…”

“Did you ever find the human?” Jaehwan quickly interrupted, leaning closer across the table almost excitedly. “Do you know if it survived? Got lucky if it did, given Chan’s means of hunting.” Himchan nodded slowly, finding himself feeling rather stoic in comparison to Jaehwan’s drunken emotion, staring down at the grooves of the wooden counter as another glass of spiked blood was placed down in front of his master. “There was a surprising lack of blood on the ground in comparison to Chan’s other hunts, but there’s no way to tell. I’m planning on sending the kids out tomorrow night to see if they smell it anywhere on the streets, but there’s no doubt a human that knows its value would venture out so soon after an attack. But we’ll grab it eventually. I have no use for a magica, but I’m sure you could find one.” 

“I can find many, right off the top of my head,” Jaehwan sighed dreamily. “Imagine the cash flow, for starters, when everyone wants a sip just to find themselves addicted to the blood. There aren’t many magica out there, and finding a natural one with so much power is beyond rare. I would never have to worry about funding again if I could just collar it and-”

“And get your hands burned off,” Himchan chortled, Jaehwan smacking him harshly on the shoulder before grumbling out, “Or I could just kill the damned thing and not have to worry about it posing a threat. I bet that’s why the VED is even able to function, these damned magica popping up. All these rumors about humans with magic tattoos and special weapons, now an honest to hell natural one… When did simple prey become so burdensome?” Himchan gave a shrug, sipping at his cup faintly, tasting the tint of sweetness that came with feeding the bar’s feeders pineapples and other sugary meals. Even on a diet of only sugar, this blood couldn’t compare to the kind he’d tasted earlier that night. It was something he’d need to look into more, for Jaehwan’s sake. He wouldn’t meddle with this in the same way he didn’t want to meddle with alcoholic blood or any form of enhancement drug; Addiction wasn’t something suited for immortality. 

“You know,” Jaehwan diverted, sending his once again empty glass far from him (Himchan flinched as the cup almost fell off the bar, thankfully saved by the bartender who seemed to know Jaehwan well enough to expect something like this), “You called your children ‘the kids’ earlier. Is it really healthy to pose as some family like this?” Himchan chuckled lowly, but was hardly amused. “Healthier, I suppose, than turning thirteen people and letting them go crazy figuring how to function in their new world,” he responded curtly, and Jaehwan swallowed tightly, narrowing his eyes once again as if deciding whether he’d scold Himchan or not for the rather rude comment. “Yes, perhaps, but we all make mistakes, and my karma is that you’re the only one of those thirteen that is worth my effort,” Jaehwan sighed, before returning to his previous topic. “Junhong I can understand, given that he’s still rather… inept with feeding and the likes. But Daehyun is how old now? Shouldn’t he be making his own children by this point?” 

Jaehwan laughed aloud at how quickly Himchan shot a glare towards him, holding hands up in mock defense. “You get so mad. Perhaps you’ve grown more attached than you expected, trying to baby them. Just because you three have a blood pact doesn’t mean you have to pose as family. Isn’t it exhausting having to babysit two grown ass adults?” 

“I’m keeping them in line, and they need it. Daehyun is restless, he’s too impulsive and he’s too sympathetic. Junhong still hasn’t drawn the line between his past human self and his new self. I’m not parenting them as much as I’m keeping them on a safe path. Do you really want your lineage tarnished if one of them gets confused and gets involved with crime or stimulants?” Jaehwan flinched, nose crinkling, and he carefully replied, “No, I’d prefer they stay the way they are if that’s the exception.” Himchan nodded victoriously before sighing lowly. “I’m allowed to care for them. I’m the reason why they still breathe, and I’d prefer for their immortality to be as calm and safe for them as possible. Is that really so bad? I didn’t turn them recklessly, which is why I only have the two of them. There’s nothing wrong with me wanting to keep them contained and out of trouble.”

Jaehwan huffed, resting his head on the counter as if he was just realizing that he’d had too much to drink, muttering, “I guess so. Just be careful with it. Your sweet, motherly love might feel restraining to them.” Himchan scoffed, and Jaehwan’s laugh echoed through the room, heads turning in their direction. Himchan waited for the onlookers to lose interest before reaching into his pocket for his wallet, deciding that he should turn in for the day if he was to be awake at a reasonable hour tomorrow night. 

“Anyway, as stated before, I’ll be sending Daehyun and Junhong out to search for the magica. In the meantime, decide if you want us to kill or capture it when we find it. Since we’ve concluded that it was what killed Chan, we don’t have to worry about hunters, but I know you were irritated about them before this incident. Do you still want me to look into them?”

Jaehwan sighed, lifting his head from the counter and cradling it in his palms. “Yes. Chan aside, there’s that one group of hunters that’s racking up a bounty, given that they’re the only ones who can put up a fight against a vampire. If we can kill them it’ll look amazing on my record. We need all the points we can get to make it into the council next run.” Himchan nodded, making a mental note to figure out exactly how much this bounty was, along with other information on these so called hunters he was going to be taking out. It wasn’t anywhere near uncommon for him and his coven to be killing for sake of Jaehwan’s reputation, and humans were far easier to murder than vampires with far less repercussions. He threw a few golden coins down onto the bar counter before standing, bowing with halfhearted goodnights to his master, and turning to make his way up. He’d be busy the next few days, but that was nothing new. For now, he’d rest before the hunt truly began.


	8. Preparations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rather short chapter, but hopefully it makes up for the long wait on the last one. Thank you for reading~ Next chapter will be fun, so stay tuned.

Yongguk had a knife. It was ten inches long and dual-sided, so perhaps it would qualify more as a dagger, but no matter. The blade was woven with pure silver, the entire thing was, and at the base of the rather plain hilt there was a flat, circular object that posed as a stamp. 

Yongguk was given this dagger by a trainer that they lost to a hunt soon after, Chu Sojung being a woman of dramatics until her very last breath. She was intense, she hated vampires more than even Yongguk or Jongup did, and she herself made this dagger with a stamp at the bottom that read ‘Judgement’ in Japanese kanji. Yongguk has only used it twice, not feeling inclined to go so out of his way as to stamp every vampire that they took down. But on two occasions he’s brought it out, bringing the flat of the hilt’s end down onto the vampire deserving, feeling sadistic joy at how they screamed and writhed as the word was seared into their skin with silver. He would’ve done it a third time to the vampire who assaulted Youngjae the other night, but it was already dead by the time he considered it, and it wasn’t as exciting when they didn’t scream. 

He sat on his bed now, in his single person bedroom, caressing this dagger more than he was actually cleaning it. He used it often and the edges were getting worn from how often he had to sharpen them. There was always a nostalgia to knowing something precious is on its way towards breakage; The dagger probably had six more hunts before the blade chipped too badly to repair. He could appreciate it for that long though, appreciate the effort that Sojung put into crafting such a cocky, dominating weapon, and through its hilt in his hands he could almost feel her passion and fury on their final hunt together before the same vampires she would invoke judgement upon were rabid at her neck. 

Their next hunt was in five hours, and he should’ve been sleeping perhaps but he’d slept enough trying to not think about where they were going. He’d gone up to the VED’s headquarters to receive a file explaining more about the hunt they were about to partake in, and the document’s contents only lowered his hopes further. 

A vampire was hiding in buildings during the day, sleeping away the time, then coming out at night to feast on the humans who believed themselves to be safe. Some buildings weren’t warded anywhere except for the doors, and humans often forgot that while vampires were monsters, they were fully capable of considering just climbing through the window. Three people had been found dead in mass living spaces like hotels and indoor apartments; Around fifty had woken up with bites, feeling dazed from glamour and blood loss, afraid and no longer trusting the wards they’d relied on since the Red Moon. 

There was a list of eight places it could be now, and their job was to search for the thing and put it down. Because there was no specific location, they would be spending most of the night travelling between the buildings they were supposed to be investigating, which put them in danger being on the streets between buildings and which meant that this could possibly be a multi-day hunt.

Yongguk sighed. Jongup had said multiple times that it would be okay, and it probably would, but any risk was too much after losing so many people to these creatures. They couldn’t allow themselves to get cocky of their successes when a single mistake could have them killed. Youngjae was fine, his neck had scabbed over, his wrist had been sitting in a casual brace long enough that he could move it back and forth with minimal pain. But Yongguk always had a bad feeling before a hunt, one that haunted him worse than his memories, a feeling that occurred every time they went out that something horrible would happen that night. He got it every time, and for the most part it hadn’t been true, but there was always a question as to when it would be, if it ever would be. He sheathed the dagger in the holster on his belt and layed back onto the carefully tucked sheets of his bed. He didn’t want to hunt tonight. 

\----------------------------------------------------

A knock resounded from the exterior of the extravagant study, and Himchan sighed out a ‘come in’ even as he jotted down lazy notes about competitors in Jaehwan’s election. The door opened with a rush of air that a vampire as old as he could hear flawlessly, and Himchan sensed that it was Daehyun long before he turned around. The younger was leaning on the mahogany door frame casually, his loose flannel and ripped jeans clashing with the formality of the room. Himchan turned his chair to give his oldest child his full attention, silently glad to have a break from his work. 

“I know the magica,” Daehyun muttered right as Himchan opened his mouth to ask what he’d come for. The eldest blinked rather emptily, before asking with a blank confusion in his tone, “What?” 

“I know the magica,” Daehyun repeated, and his eyes were dull, tired. He’d probably stayed out all night until near morning again, and Himchan swallowed down irritation at this; He was going to destroy his body doing such things so often. “I’ve ran into him before. A human who can manipulate fire, strong enough to kill a rather defined vampire. It was about a year ago maybe.” Himchan stared heavily into his child’s eyes, feeling Daehyun subconsciously recede back into the hallway a little under his gaze. Not wanting to lose information that Daehyun surely didn’t even want to give, Himchan sighed and dropped his eyes to the armchair beside his desk, holding out his hand in invitation. Daehyun hesitated before stepping slowly towards the chair, sinking a little into the leather cushion as he sat. 

“You know it?” Himchan asked, turning back towards his desk. “And you never said anything why?” Daehyun was fidgeting with the ends of his jacket now, and it was rare to see him actually nervous in admitting he’d done something against Himchan’s will. Usually when he went out against Himchan’s words he’d be sneaky in coming back in, but upon being caught he would explain himself like he made no error. Now he had his eyes cast down as he replied, “It was that night that we were supposed to take down Lee Gunwoo for Jaehwan’s acquaintance. I came back and told you that someone else had already killed Gunwoo, but that someone else...” 

“You’re telling me that this magica killed a human?” Himchan asked with disbelief. So it was a murderer? That was a little more than strange, but it wasn’t out of the question. But Daehyun shook his head quickly. “I’m telling you that this magica killed the vampire that killed Gunwoo. There were bodies everywhere, he was the only one that lived through it, and whoever the hell assassinated our target was charred to a crisp on the floor beside him. It has to be the same human, right?” Probably, Himchan thought with a loud, obvious sigh. Not many humans fit the description the same way, after all. “Why didn’t you tell me when it happened,” he stated without an asking tone, feeling exhaustion creeping unwelcome into his lungs. “We could’ve known how to respond to this incident if we knew what it was doing. And on another note, why didn’t you capture it or just kill it? Did it run?” 

“I spared him. He was bleeding out, so I figured he’d die even if I left.” It was a lie, Himchan could tell from the twitch of the corner of Daehyun’s lips. “You’re lying,” he muttered, and the younger’s eyes shot up, hands tightening around the fabric between them. “You’re too damn sympathetic to our prey, Daehyun. It’s going to ruin you someday.” 

“I didn’t know it would be a threat to us,” the other quickly argued, keeping the loudness of his voice contained, but the stress behind his tone was unconcealed. “I told him to fuck off and figured he would’ve skipped town, he-”

“Stop using ‘he,’ it doesn’t deserve your respect.”

“I’m using ‘he’ because -he- is a goddamn person with a gender, Himchan,” Daehyun growled out, and his master growled louder, the younger flinching somewhat despite how he’d previously been leaning forward in his chair to make his statement. There was silence and tension in the room, and Himchan vaguely noted that the door was still open, that Junhong surely was listening in like he always did when he heard them arguing from down the hall. 

“That aside, I can tell you what he looks like, his name, where I last saw him, but I have a request.” Himchan groaned loosely, running a hand through his black hair, rubbing his eyes afterward and looking up tiredly at his child. “You should tell me without blackmail, Daehyun, I’m your creator and my will is-”

“Your will is important to me, Himchan, don’t doubt that. Jaehwan’s will, however, is not, and I know you don’t give a shit about magica so this has to be on Jaehwan’s agenda.” He called it. Daehyun’s eyes were dark and angry, like those of a teenager arguing with strict parents or those of a cat who’s just been sprayed with water. “Fine. Your request?”

Daehyun sighed, leaning back into the chair and dropping the slightly frayed edges of his jacket, folding his hands in his lap. “Don’t kill him. I won’t tell you about the second time, but I’ve gone out of my way to keep this guy alive twice now, just because I was curious to see where he would end up someday. It’s a waste of my time if he just ends up dead.” Himchan stared into Daehyun’s eyes long and hard before honestly and clearly asking, “Daehyun, is there a chance that you care about this human because it was one of the ones you-”

“No!” the younger groaned loudly, slamming his fist down on the arm of the chair. “Just because I go out to feed, you assume that every fucking human-”

“Language.”

“-every goddamn freaking human that I know of is one that I’ve sucked on..!” the younger finished with dramaticized frustration. Himchan cocked an eyebrow at Daehyun’s rather immature display, but let him continue. “I haven’t drank from him. You told me to watch out for humans with magic in them and this one is a fucking firework if the rest are sparks. I’m not an idiot, Himchan, I’m just... merciful. I’m sick of considering that we’re just monsters to these things. The least we can be is respectful to our prey. Humans aren’t demons to cattle, so why do we have to be demons to humans that we literally were the same as before we turned?”

A pause, and Daehyun seemed wary as if wasn’t sure if Himchan was going to rant at him or straight up smack him for his words. The elder simply sighed and rolled his chair forward, reaching out and stroking a hand through his child’s crimson red hair, down to his soft cheek, then to his chin in platonic affection. “Daehyun, would you prefer that we herd humans like cattle?” he asked, softening his tone considerably. “If we locked up every human alive and made them all feeders? If we killed the sick and the unsuited and bred them to be perfect just like cattle, that would be worse than letting them live freely and hunting them, wouldn’t it? We have to eat just like they do, we have to drink and they’re our only source of nutrition.” Daehyun was silent, eyes flickering back and forth from Himchan’s knees to the floor, and Himchan continued to brush through his hair in a soothing motion. He cared about Daehyun, about Junhong, and no matter how they’d argue, no matter what Jaehwan said, they were his family that he wanted to take care of. 

“The magica, what’s your plan for him?” ‘Him’ again, Himchan noted with a sigh, but figured that old habits die slowly. “Whatever Jaehwan chooses. If Jaehwan wants him killed, there isn’t anything I can do about it. He funds us after all, we have to keep him pleased.”

“And if he doesn’t want to kill him?” Himchan didn’t like the almost hopeful tone in his child’s voice.

“We’ll capture it. It’ll probably become a feeder, Jaehwan mentioned using the magic in it’s blood to get customers addicted into coming back. Either that or we’ll send it off to be researched to find some sort of way around magic’s effect on us. Either way, it won’t be happy or comfortable. Don’t go out of your way to protect it, or any human for that matter, again.” Daehyun nodded loosely, but his lip twitched, and Himchan sighed as he dismissed him. 


	9. Glamour

It was time before they were ready, but they were never necessarily ready for a hunt without a decent break since their last one. Youngjae’s neck was still patched with gauze and Jongup had sharpened each of his small knives until one of them chipped on the blade. Yongguk stared dully through the glass panel of the living room window, watching trickles of rainwater slip down to rest on the frame. It was a groggy night. Vampires didn’t often go out in the rain, since it seemed even monsters weren’t fond of walking around without an umbrella. The director picked a good night for a hunt like this, a hold up where a vampire was hiding inside buildings during day and feasting on occupants at night. Given the lower number of vampires on the street they wouldn’t have to worry so much about stealth on the way to their destination, and even if someone was injured in the conflict they wouldn’t have to worry so much about something sniffing their blood out on the way back. It wasn’t going to be too harsh of a hunt as long as they were careful, but they were tired and not fully prepared, and Yongguk would be worried even if they were at a hundred percent. 

His eyes slipped to the two sitting at the dinner table, finishing up what was left of their meal before they went out. Broth was easy on the stomach in case one of them took a hard hit, and the chicken pieces sparingly dropped into it would give them energy. Yongguk wasn’t so much of a cook, but he’d picked up some things after having to practically raise a traumatized teenager into adulthood in the span of months. Jongup never confessed anything about his food tasting bad, but Youngjae grimaced a few times as some of the chicken he chewed on crunched a little. Nothing could really be wrong with something as simple as chicken soup though, and Yongguk picked up Youngjae’s bowl the moment it was close enough to empty to dump it in the sink for the morning so that they could head out before their nerves got the best of them. 

Jongup glanced to the elder as to get his attention before visibly pointing to his wrist. Yongguk nodded. “Yeah, it’s time. Let’s get this over with.” After Youngjae slinged on the medical bag and the three inspected their weapons one last time, they headed out the door, rain dripping from their hair and soaking into the clothing on their backs. Walking was quieter than taking the car, the hotel was only a few miles down the road, and nothing shook someone alert as fast as cold water on their neck anyway. The trip was silent, both good and bad, because they weren’t intercepted on the way but there was no conversation to distract their minds. It didn’t matter so much in the end though, given that they were turning onto the correct road within the hour.

The hotel was grandeur, looming over the neon-drenched street like a beast over prey, casting a shadow that managed to outweigh even the darkness of a new moon’s night. Its crown molded windows and marble decor was an extreme contrast to the rather ratty clubs, bars, and small-time casinos surrounding, and Yongguk found himself gazing up at the massive building disdainfully. Such a huge hotel would be antagonizing considering they were looking for a single person out of the hundreds that were sleeping inside, guests and staff alike. Worst case, if they didn’t find the vampire tonight they could come during the day when the thing would be asleep in some hidden corner of the hotel. They didn’t do this in the first place though was because this hotel was old, and it was by far reasonable that the vampire might be sleeping in the walls or in some other place that they would never think to look. 

Jongup was the first to actually step forward, his footsteps silent despite how heavy his boots were, his eyes dull in a sense of focus that he always fell into on hunts like this. Youngjae glanced cautiously to Yongguk before following, the leader going in last. They would split up and touch the pulse points on their wrists regularly to determine by the rate of heartbeats whether anyone was in immediate danger. Each of the three also had an earpiece in; Worst case they could radio in for help. The vampire surely wouldn’t be too awful to deal with given that it was pathetically preying on sleeping humans, but they couldn’t take any risks after they could’ve lost Youngjae in the last hunt. 

The receptionist smiled when they entered, but the anxiety in her eyes was far from concealed. Yongguk didn’t blame her. Who wouldn’t be anxious given the situation at hand? A vampire was currently prowling the halls of this massive building, and at any moment it could flash into the room far more quickly than human eyes or reflexes could comprehend. The woman’s eyes were bloodshot, her face pale. She probably had barely slept. 

Giving a nod in greeting, Yongguk approached the front desk. He wasn’t fond of the way his boots echoed with each step, but the higher floors would be carpeted, not like the silence would do any good against a vampire. The woman bowed her head quickly when he approached, hurrying in her words, “Hello, you’re the hunters right?” At Yongguk’s hum she sighed in relief, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. “Thank goodness. I thought the VED would never send help.” Upon realizing the blank stares returned towards the rather blunt comment, the receptionist cleared her throat and moved on. “The most recent sighting was last night, a guest woke feeling groggy and noted bite marks on her neck. Room 205. They checked out immediately, so the room is empty if you want to inspect it.” Yongguk gave a quick thanks and turned to head off to the large marble staircase. He only turned back upon seeing that Jongup was still standing by the desk, glancing around the room slowly as if distracted. He sighed as he turned back, wondering if Jongup stayed up all night on his damned computer again. He’d have to take the thing if it was going to make him tired on hunts. 

He grabbed the younger’s arm and immediately Jongup’s eyes flickered to meet his, the younger blinking before bowing his head and following Yongguk back to the staircase. Youngjae had already scaled up, waving down to them before heading to the left. Yongguk only let go of Jongup’s arm once they were at the top before spinning to face the younger. “Are you alright?” he asked bluntly. “We should work together if you don’t feel up to this.” Jongup shook his head quickly, his hands moving in rapid response. ‘I’m fine, hyung. I just sensed something strange.’ Yongguk sighed before patting Jongup’s shoulder lightly. “Call if you need help,” he muttered before taking off down the hall to his right. 

It was well lit in the hallway, and Yongguk almost questioned why a vampire would choose to live here before the answer became obvious. So many humans fast asleep, no struggle or noise to give out its presence as it drank as much as it wanted from each victim. This was a buffet for a vampire willing to hide away from sunlight during the day. They’d put it down before it could find another meal. Yongguk wished there was some way for him to just search the thing out, but hunts were never that easy. Usually they’d just wait for the vampire to recklessly find them, or worst case use Youngjae’s blood to attract them and hope for the right one to come, but this vampire surely would be more careful if it only preyed on people who were asleep. Either way, he was en route to the room the receptionist had told him about. Surely he could find some clues inside.

The door was ajar, and Yongguk wondered what kept guests from just wandering in. They probably knew that it was akin to a crime scene and didn’t want to risk danger, but he was sure that something like that wouldn’t deter the types of people who were interested in ghosts and such. If the hotel had been practically haunted by this vampire for over a month, surely the current guests were people either interested in danger, or curious about the vampire stories they’d kept hearing, either that or just disbelieving that such a strange scenario could happen. Yongguk entered the room hoping that none of these possibly snooping guests would be lingering inside. Thankfully, the room was empty. 

The sheets on the massive bed were pulled back, and he immediately noted the dribbles of brown stained onto the left pillow. It didn’t take much of an assumption to note that it was blood, and Yongguk slowly stepped around the vacant room to find more. There was a half-eaten cookie sitting on a delicate, decorative plate that sat rather unusually on the bed, and Yongguk questioned why the guest couldn’t clean up after themselves before they left. Perhaps they were too scared, packing quickly and heading out before they could even consider tidying up the room. The bathroom was empty besides a little smudging on the mirror, a little water in the shower, and Yongguk headed out of the room with no more information than he started with. He made his way back down the staircase to see if the receptionist could tell him what other rooms had been attacked; Maybe there was a pattern in where or who the vampire hit next that they could use to predict where to head to. Many vampires had a preference, women, pretty boys, children, that they stuck to regularly on their hunts, so that type of information would be much more helpful than some blood on a pillow. But the front desk was vacant, the woman gone, and Yongguk figured it would be more productive searching the halls than waiting for her to get back. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Daseot stopped replying two hours ago, and Junhong was, as usual, bored. Himchan had left to discuss matters with Jaehwan, and Daehyun surely wouldn’t be home for much longer before he strutted out to find some cute girl to suck on. The internet could only provide so much entertainment before pointless videos and news on celebrities became repetitive and useless. He closed his laptop with a sigh. 

Junhong rarely found himself leaving his room anymore, not wanting to deal with Himchan’s ranting or Daehyun’s teasing or really with anything. He wasn’t much of a reader so it wasn’t like frequenting the library would do him much good, and despite feeling lonely most of the time, it wasn’t worth the risks of trying to leave the house. Himchan swore that his cravings would diminish if he just gave hunting a try, the exact opposite of what he told Daehyun who hunted too much, but Junhong felt a little sick everytime he considered actually drinking from a person. Even bagged blood was something he had to drink while distracted to forget how it had been obtained. He’d been a vampire for months now, surely it should’ve gotten easier with time, but perhaps Himchan was right in that he’d have to practice something to grow more comfortable with it. 

The living room was empty, as per usual. Sometimes Junhong would come in here with his laptop just to escape the silent vacancy of his room. Himchan had worried over him endlessly, asking if he was depressed or ‘that new generation issue,’ but Junhong didn’t want to consider something like that either. He wasn’t exactly pleased to find that immortality wasn’t all it was cracked up to be, and that vampires could still have mental illness, addictions, and other things that would be even worse when death couldn’t take them away. ‘Get out more’ was Daehyun’s blunt answer to the regular empty feeling in his chest, but getting out more was only anxiety provoking when he considered the cravings he felt when he was near a human. He’d only drank from a person three times, once when they went out to find Lee Gunwoo and twice on hunts with Himchan. All three times he’d vomited the blood up, remembering the victims and their blank eyes, their shredded throats when he lost control at their scent. 

He couldn’t do it, he decided. He was defective as a vampire perhaps, but he couldn’t drink from a person. Maybe he was too new, maybe he recalled his old human emotions too well, but humans weren’t so different from him, were they? Just feasting on them like animals, he couldn’t do that without the guilt tearing him apart. 

There was a loud creaking, and Junhong flopped onto the couch, his long legs hanging awkwardly off the side as he stared up at the ceiling. It only took a second before Daehyun’s amused voice was permeating the silence of the room. “You look comfy.” Junhong’s pink eyes flickered up. Daehyun looked beautiful as always, crimson eyes lined black and a stylish black jacket hanging over a t-shirt of a band he probably wasn’t familiar with. His hair was an intentional form of messy, and Junhong wondered why the hell he keeped dying it when he noted that the strands were now blonde rather than red. Junhong crinkled his nose. 

“Are you trying to copy me or something? I thought you said blonde was for pretty boys?” Daehyun grinned at Junhong’s remark. “Aren’t I pretty?” The younger scoffed, sitting up from the couch like he intended to leave the room. Daehyun scrambled around the couch, sitting on the younger’s legs and leaning back against the cushions. “Ah, Junhongie, don’t go. I actually had a question for you.” Oh no, the younger thought. Keeping his response simple and annoyed, he muttered, “What?” 

“You should go out with me. We can go to a club, you don’t even have to put normal clothes on if you don’t want.” Daehyun was great at making him feel like a slob, but who wouldn’t sit around in pajamas if they never left the house? “I’m not gonna make you drink like Himchan does. Let’s just go have a good time, get you out of the house.” Himchan would diagnose him as depressed, but Daehyun was the one actually making a mild effort to pull him out of it, and as grateful as Junhong subtly was, it was a little annoying at times. “I don’t want to. I’ll get cravings and go off on some poor human, I can’t risk that. Besides, didn’t Himchan say to stay in for the next few days?” Daehyun’s expression was very suddenly blank, and he scoffed a little. “Does he want me to starve? At least I don’t slaughter the humans I drink from like he expects me to. Even if you do drink, Jun, I won’t let you seriously hurt anyone. What’s the damage if they don’t die?” 

Junhong laughed, a short, sarcastic noise that had Daehyun’s eyes narrowing a little. “At least you don’t slaughter them? What, is emotional damage not enough? Trauma? Don’t you forget that we’re monsters to those people? You go around pretending to be one of them, a wolf in sheep’s clothing, you can’t say that you’re an angel here.” The elder slowly stood from the couch, his hands balled up in the jackets at his side, but Junhong was sitting up and crossing his arms over his chest, determined to get this point across. “They trust you, don’t you feel guilty when you see their faces as you’re drinking from them?” 

“I glamour them. They don’t feel the pain, they don’t feel the guilt. There isn’t a problem, they don’t feel it,” Daehyun responded coldly, his previous energy wiped away entirely. “There is a problem,” Junhong replied curtly. “Because when they shake off that glamour, they’ll be terrified to ever interact with another human, wondering if it’s just a vampire in hiding. You make yourself so damned attractive to lure people in, at least Himchan acts like a vampire, at least he doesn’t lie about it like he can’t get over the fact that we’re all fucking monsters-”

His cheek very suddenly stung, and he only realized that he’d been hit when he noticed that Daehyun was much closer, his eyes cold as ice. “If we’re all fucking monsters then why the hell did you ask Himchan to turn you?” Daehyun growled out, and Junhong suddenly realized that he might’ve taken it too far. “If I’m just a fucking monster then so be it, but at least I don’t sit in my room all day waiting for my demon hyungs to bring me their slaughters. Don’t bullshit me, you’re the one pretending to be human, talking to all those kids on the internet like you’re one of them. You’re being fucking hypocritical, Junhong. Stop pretending like you’re better than the people who feed you every damned day.” 

By the time Junhong opened his mouth to respond the front door was slamming and he was once again left in silence. The guilt pumped almost like a heartbeat in his silent chest, and he wondered why he was crying when he was determined that he didn’t care moments before. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I’ve got nothing,” Yongguk sighed over the radio, Youngjae having just reached up to make the same comment. He dropped his hand, staring down an empty hall. “Me either. Should we regroup?” It took a moment of static before the leader was responding. “Yeah, we’ll try to find an old map of this place before it was remodelled and just find the damned thing while it’s sleeping. Let’s regroup in the lobby for now.” Youngjae shoved his hands into his pockets, not too far from the stairs anyway. He’d searched up and down hallways, in the last victim’s room, in staff areas and the cafeteria, even the bathrooms. There was nothing. He hadn’t found any way to a basement or attic the vampire might be sleeping in, no panels in the walls, there was no lead. Making his way down the stairs, he figured with a small groan that this hunt was going to be a lot more boring than he’d anticipated.

Youngjae found a comfy place on one of the lobby’s couches while he waited, poking loosely at the bandage on the side of his neck, testing the pain. It was minimal in comparison to how badly it had hurt the night after he was bitten. The bite was more like a shred, but the vampire hadn’t dug in deep enough to hit a major artery, which was probably the only reason why he’d survived the attack. It was scary considering how close to death he’d been, but he’d never admit that to anyone else. Maybe a boring hunt was something to be grateful for, considering how dangerous the last one had been. 

Yongguk descended the stairs around five minutes after Youngjae had sat down, looking around as he jogged up to the younger. “Any sign of Jongup?” Their youngest member hadn’t shown any sign of hearing their radio conversation, but it wasn’t like he could tell them that he was okay. “He’s probably still on his way back. There are fifteen floors in this building, maybe he was further up,” Youngjae replied. It wasn’t like he was in danger. Such a skittish vampire wouldn’t dare attack someone awake and alert, and Jongup could be disgustingly violent if the situation escalated to such extremes. Youngjae gently placed his fingers to the green pulsepoint. Jongup’s heartbeat was slow, gentle, there was no danger. 

But fifteen minutes went by, and despite how the younger’s heartbeat was still steady, Youngjae found himself almost as concerned as Yongguk. The leader was pacing back and forth, arms crossed tightly over his chest, and finally the magica stood with a sigh. “I’ll go search for him. He’s alright, Guk, otherwise his heartbeat would be faster than this.” 

“I’ll go look, too. Be back down here in ten minutes, either that or radio in that you’re on your way. Something is wrong, I can feel it.” Youngjae didn’t mention that Yongguk always felt like something was wrong, and instead nodded quietly, hurrying back up the staircase and towards the elevator. He really was sure that Jongup was just on a higher floor, given that neither himself nor Yongguk had headed towards the elevators in their initial diversion. Jongup had seemed distracted when they’d entered, maybe he was too focused on something to realize that the radio conversation was happening, or maybe he’d turned off the sound to listen for something else. Youngjae sighed as he hurriedly searched the entire top floor and found nothing. Three minutes down, seven to go. He headed one floor down, reaching up to his radio once he stepped out of the elevator. 

“Jonguppie, if you can hear me I’m on the fourteenth floor. Just respond with a noise or something, hit the wall so we know you’re okay.” A few seconds passed before a loud thump echoed into the speaker. Youngjae sighed in relief. “See, Yongguk? He’s fine.” A moment of hesitation before the eldest was responding. “Jongup, do it again.” Three seconds passed before another thump pulsed into their ears. Youngjae blinked as he heard the noise somewhere else though, a little below him. He sprinted to the elevator, heading down to the thirteenth floor. “Jongup, do it one more time,” he muttered as the elevator descended to the next floor, and the thump was louder, right outside the doors. He stepped out and turned to head down the hall… before freezing in his steps.

Jongup was laying on the floor of the hallway, his eyes open but glazed in a peaceful, lazy expression. Leaning over him, lips delicate on his throat, was the receptionist. She blinked up as the elevator doors slammed shut behind him, and smiled as Youngjae already had a dagger in his hand. “I’ll give you two seconds…” Youngjae started slowly, “To get the hell off of him, and to get the hell out of this hotel, before I kill you.” The woman gently pulled her lips away from the hunter’s throat, Jongup whimpering almost puppylike as she let him fall out of her lap. He was glamoured harder than Youngjae had ever seen. So that was why the guests could stay asleep even through the pain of a bite; She just glamoured them into staying lost in a dreamlike state. 

“You smell good,” she muttered calmly, her voice much more soft than the trembling tone from when they’d entered. Youngjae wondered how the hell he hadn’t suspected her, but she was clearly wearing makeup to seem more human-like, the freckles on her face surely fake. He scowled upon realizing that that must’ve been why the receptionist was bowing the entire time she talked to them; She didn’t want them seeing the unusual smoothness of a vampire’s skin up close. “I’ve heard that too many times to care. Now turn around and walk like a fucking person down these stairs. I’m following you out.” He’d kill the vampire the second he could get it in a corner to where it wouldn’t whip around on him. He wouldn’t use magic here, he didn’t want to burn down a building that so many people were sleeping in, but he was proficient enough with a knife as long as she wasn’t expecting him to attack. If he played that he was showing mercy, then he could take her down before she could consider jumping him. A sweet smile, and the ‘receptionist’ was turning, making her way towards the stairs. Youngjae reached up to his radio. “Guk, come to the thirteenth floor immediately. Jongup is there and needs treatment.” 

“What..?!” Yongguk gasped, but it sounded as if he was already running. Youngjae kept his eyes focused on the vampire’s back. The creature’s voice was sweet and delicate as it calmly asked, “You’re going to kill me anyway, aren’t you? I haven’t done anything wrong.” 

“You think attacking helpless people isn’t wrong?” Youngjae asked with a scoff. The vampire chuckled at his tone. “Isn’t it better than biting them when they’re awake to be terrified? I don’t kill them, so it’s not wrong.” 

“Then your existence is wrong, it doesn’t matter. Hurry up. And if I find out that you’ve come back to this hotel after we leave, I really will burn you to a crisp.” The vampire gasped even though he couldn’t see her face from behind, her tone excited and curious. “Oh, so you’re a magica then? That must explain why you smell so sweet.” He’d heard it too many times and he hated it. How sweet his blood surely smelled, he didn’t care. It was just an inconvenience, another curse that came with having so much power. “Shut up,” he sighed, making his way downstairs after the vampire that was taking its sweet time. Once they turned the next corner he’d lunge forward and stab into its head. There was no way he’d just let it walk back onto the streets to attack another helpless victim. The corner was approaching, the dagger in his hand was tight and the urge to attack such a horrible creature was almost addictive, biting at him, just a little longer…

Suddenly the vampire was gone. He froze, eyes darting around the hallway before there was a soft, delicate hand pressing firmly over his lips, another wrapping around his torso, and he was being turned with abnormal strength to stare into ruby eyes. The world around those eyes started to seem fuzzy, and Youngjae had been glamoured enough times before to know that he needed to look away but the hand over his mouth was now holding his chin in place, his eyes were fixated on the vampire’s, and no amount of struggling was getting him out of this grip. “You’re a pretty one, that hunter upstairs is as well.” Her voice was an echo in his mind, so soothing and welcoming, his eyes felt heavy. “Such pretty humans are why I stay in rich places like this you know. Only the best prey can afford such an extravagant hotel. You understand right?” Youngjae was nodding, why was he nodding..? She chuckled and her voice was honey on his ears. “Yes yes, it’s comforting right now right? Will you let me have a drink, I’m so thirsty.” Yes, yes, he’d let her do anything. “Please,” he whispered. “Please please please…” She sighed in relief, leaning down to his throat, and he whimpered as she was taking too long, too long, too-

With a scream, the vampire fell off of him, and Youngjae in turn collapsed to the floor. Yongguk dropped to straddle the vampire, stabbing harshly into her beautiful face, and Youngjae felt himself trembling as he watched without the strength to move. He felt so lost, so deep in the haze, he’d never been so heavily glamoured before that he actually wanted a vampire to bite him. The realization of what he’d been muttering hit him harshly, he was disgusted with himself. Yongguk only stood again once the vampire was very still and very, very dead. 

“Youngjae..” he muttered, and the embarrassment flooded through the younger as he realized that surely Yongguk had heard him pleading to be bitten. The leader kneeled next to him and he wished he had the strength to move, to speak, anything. Yongguk stroked a hand through his hair and it felt so good in the midst of his glamour, his eyes falling shut, he could feel embarrassed and guilty later. “Be more careful next time. You should’ve snuck around and killed it the second you found it on Jongup.” He nodded slowly, lost in the feeling of hands running through his hair. Yongguk always refrained from touching any of them when they were glamoured, not liking the idea of using such a dirty tactic to comfort someone, but he seemed to be ignoring his own rule right now. “For now, sleep. We’re going to stay in the victim’s room until you two can think properly.” Right, that made sense. 

Youngjae curled up against Yongguk’s chest the moment he was lifted into strong, warm arms, and the heat of Yongguk’s body lulled him still until they reached the room. Jongup was already fast asleep under the thick comforter of the bed, Youngjae whimpering as he was placed down into the cold fabric, Yongguk gazing down at the two pitifully before sighing and making his way to the coffee machine on the desk. “Sleep,” he muttered again, sounding exhausted himself, but Youngjae felt lazy and Jongup was warm too, sleep sounding like heaven in such a comfortable place.


	10. Contact

Jongup was awake long before his eyes flickered open, but the dreamlike daze he was in was too comfortable to evade. Something was warm and soft at his side, breathing in sync with him, the blankets over his bare stomach were like clouds with just the right amount of pressure to be comforting. There was a distant noise, something clicking against a wooden table, a glass clinking against another glass, but these sounds were only background noise. He allowed his eyes to slowly open, and the soft sunlight was as comforting as the warmth surrounding him. 

He felt blurry, if that was a feeling. As if his nerves were buzzing with relief and confusion all at once, he couldn’t quite comprehend where he was or why he was there, but he also didn’t mind. Glancing down he saw Youngjae’s arm draped loosely over his side, the elder resting his head on his bare shoulder, but Jongup didn’t mind. It was just Youngjae after all. 

“You’re up.” 

“Hm..?” His strange, squeaked voice sounded foreign in his own head, so rarely used, but Yongguk’s was all too familiar, and Jongup forced his head to turn on the pillow to look at the elder. He seemed unusually exhausted for how himself and Youngjae appeared to feel as comfortable as could be. Yongguk had both hands curled around a coffee cup provided by the hotel room they seemed to be staying in, sitting at the circular table like he could lean on it and fall asleep at any moment. 

“You’ve been asleep for a while,” Yongguk muttered. He seemed agitated somehow. “But then again, glamour will do that to you.” Glamour… that would explain this feeling, this soft buzz, this warmth, this comfort. When had he been glamoured? Jongup searched his memories as far back as they could go, but he could only reach the image of himself walking down a well-lit hallway, everything else erased as if a piece of his thoughts had been clipped out. They had been searching for the vampire… He didn’t see himself as the type to be caught off guard, but if he had been glamoured then surely that was what happened. Jongup slowly sat up, being sure to gently move Youngjae’s head to fall onto the soft pillow instead, the younger rubbing his eyes in an attempt to wipe away the daze cast over them. 

“The vampire's dead. It was the receptionist. She got you both glamoured.” Yongguk sighed, shaking his head. “You two are too reckless. Just because we can take down a vampire doesn’t mean that they can’t hurt you. They’re capable of too many things for us to underestimate them. You were practically unconscious, that thing could’ve sucked you dry and you wouldn’t even know it, and Youngjae was…” Yongguk paused in his rambling, seeming to notice the distress building in Jongup’s eyes, the leader placing his coffee cup down in favor of letting his face fall into his hands. “I’m not angry,” he breathed, sounding more tired than anything. “I’m just worried. There’s always a risk that I might lose you two, I wouldn’t be able to bear it if that happened.” Jongup nodded meekly, but the guilt had already begun to win over the cozy warmth of the glamour, and Youngjae’s body suddenly felt too hot at his side. He slid out of the bed, noting that his shirt was folded neatly on the table beside him. The collar was face up, and there was a large brown stain coating the side of it… 

Jongup’s heart skipped a beat, he shot his hand to the side of his neck and winced as it throbbed through the gauze patch taped there. Yongguk shook his head slowly. “Youngjae found you, but the thing was already on you by then… I’m really sorry, Uppie.” He paused, noting how the younger was staring loosely at the floor as if somehow suddenly lost. Yongguk’s voice was more fragile as he continued. “I promised you that you wouldn’t have to experience that again, and I failed you. I’m really, really sorry.” Jongup felt his heartbeat slowing. It was a distant memory, one he was long past choosing to experience, but the throb of his neck was no stranger, and it was impossible to forget such a traumatic past. How his throat had been torn open at such a young age, his brother shoving him into the closet with his phone, harshly whispering, ‘Call Yongguk, call him,’ knowing that his family was dead by his mother’s screams, his brother’s groans. A hand clapped down on his shoulder and Jongup jumped out of his skin, he could feel his eyes were damp only when they were flicking up to meet Yongguk’s apologetic ones. “Don’t think about it if you can help it,” the elder whispered, his deep voice soothing, his tone empathetic. “It’s all in the past now.” 

A creak snapped him more from his memories than anything else did, and Jongup just in time to see Youngjae curl into himself from under the blankets, a dewy sheen cast over his forehead and cheeks, glistening from the light above. Yongguk sighed, another problem had arisen. The elder reached down and whipped the blankets off the magica, not having to say a word for Jongup to already be bringing an iced glass of water back to the bed. 

“He’s not that bad off this time,” Yongguk muttered, dumping some of the water onto a rag and pressing it against Youngjae’s forehead, his neck, down his chest, then back to his forehead, a ritual that had to be done every few months. Jongup was relieved that this fever wasn’t as bad as the last. He still had scars on his hands from the burns of shaking the magica awake, and there was still a sear mark in the floor in the vague shape of a handprint. This was minor in comparison, probably triggered by the glamour, it happened almost every time Youngjae was glamoured too hard. Too much magic in one body wasn’t something that could last for very long, so he’d expel it via heat. As inconvenient as it could be, Jongup was almost grateful that he could focus on caring for his teammate rather than remembering the deep bite on his neck for at least a few minutes.

“Guk,” Youngjae breathed, his voice raspy and dry. Yongguk reached down to lift his head so he could at least drink some water, but the moment his bare hand touched Youngjae’s skin he was jerking it back. The elder sighed, shaking his head. “You want water, you’re gonna have to sit up.” A groan, Yongguk dropped to his knees beside the bed, Jongup sitting on the coffee table nearby. Patience was a virtue, they’d dealt with so many fevers by now that there was no panic in them anymore unless things were literally on fire. Within fifteen minutes, as expected, Youngjae had lifted himself weakly into a sitting position, Yongguk had fed two glasses of icy water down his throat, and he’d become cool enough to touch again without getting burned. 

Youngjae’s eyes never met theirs after he had fevers, as if he was guilty for what he couldn’t help, not seeming to realize that Jongup and Yongguk didn’t blame him in the slightest for the moments where he couldn’t bring himself out of bed. Despite the obvious guilt, he didn’t say a thing, climbing out of the damp sheets and making his way to the bathroom, sweat-soaked pants dropped halfway to the door. Yongguk picked Youngjae’s discarded clothing up, having no qualms about touching their sweaty, bloody things after practically raising them, throwing the pants onto one of the chairs to deal with later before turning to Jongup. “We need to leave by morning,” he muttered, his voice soft again when it had been so demanding in telling Youngjae to snap out of his fever. But then again, Yongguk always knew what tone to use in what scenarios, Yongguk always knew what to say and what to do. Jongup didn’t know how the rebellious, messy teen that used to sneak into his brother’s bedroom late at night became such a responsible person. But then again, he himself was nothing like before either. Perhaps the moon changed much more than just society, changing them as people as well, uniting and separating, bringing out the best and worst in each other. He wondered if they would’ve gotten this close if the vampire’s hadn’t raided, and the answer didn’t rest well in his heart, so he dodged the thought rather quickly. 

Youngjae was better after a cold shower, groggy and exhausted, but well enough at least to be walking around and helping pack supplies. He wouldn’t look Yongguk in the eyes, and Jongup wondered what had happened while he had been under glamour that was causing such a mild tension in the room. He waited for Youngjae to go into the bathroom, signing the question out to Yongguk, but the leader simply smiled and shook his head, signing back (probably so the magica couldn’t overhear) that Youngjae was simply embarrassed about being glamoured. Everything made sense at that point, and Jongup could feel relief that there was no argument taking place under his nose. 

Supplies packed and silence hanging over them, they left the hotel without a goodbye, the receptionist dead and most of the guests still asleep. Yongguk had cleaned up the body, but they didn’t have the supplies or care to wash the bloodstains out of the carpet. They’d probably see a coverage of this on television later, the ‘mysterious hunter group’ rescuing the city of Seoul yet again. It sounded too heroic for all of the blood and pain associated with it, but Jongup could appreciate the guise. 

The sun was hanging above, and the roads were safe again. It was strange, being out while everyone else in the city was roaming. All three of them were nearly nocturnal, so the sunlight felt strange on their shoulders, just barely too bright to their eyes, and the crowds of citizens going about their business was somewhat overwhelming. A child was crying, a woman bumped into Yongguk and scoffed. Jongup hated vampires, and he enjoyed ridding the town of them for the peoples’ sake, but sometimes he wasn’t sure that people were so great either. Their house was lonely in its vacancy on a street of families and couples, and they filed in with an exhausted silence that was becoming commonplace as of late. “Any chance they’re gonna give us a hunt tomorrow too?” Youngjae asked, his mumbled voice laced up with sarcasm, Yongguk sighing and rather honestly responding, “We’ll find out I guess.” 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

‘Back to more recent news, the esteemed group of hunters under the VED labelled ‘Matoki’ have taken yet another step towards defending our country. Rest assured, everyone, the vampire we reported about just last month that was holding up in buildings has been put down for good. We can only wonder who these mysterious Matoki are, and what they’re capable of next. See this as a sign of hope for humanity, and look forward to a positive future.’

 

The voice drained on, but it was white noise once the topic of interest fell out of view. Himchan turned down the volume on the laptop until the woman’s words were just a blur of quiet noise and turned to Jaehwan, who was sitting at his side. “This ‘esteemed group of hunters’,” Himchan quoted, sighing and shaking his head slowly. “-is beginning to pose a problem.” Jaehwan was frozen for a moment, eyes locked onto the screen where a young human woman continued to report some other event, but finally his thoughts evaded him and the master was groaning harshly. “Beginning? They’ve been a problem since they took down Chan.” He leaned forward in his seat, clenching his fingers tightly together. Himchan stared at the intricate detailing on his polished wooden desk as Jaehwan grumbled, “How are humans so capable of killing this many of us? Are they just lucky, or is there something else that we’re missing?” The younger pondered whether his next words were ones that he should let spill, holding them right on his tongue before deciding that they were important enough. 

“Daehyun told me,” he began, and Jaehwan’s eyes flickered up. “That he knows of the magica people keep saying is a part of this group.” His master’s eyebrow quirked upward, the man muttering, “Oh? And how does our Daehyunnie know of this human?” Himchan shook his head. No point in giving Jaehwan another reason to look down on their small family. “I’m not sure myself, but his information is more important than his vagueness. He says that he knows of a human that is extremely powerful, and…” Himchan slowed, eyes flicking up from his desk to peer into his master’s curious ones. “...uses namely fire magic.” 

Jaehwan laughed, short and breathy, straightening up in the armchair that had been pulled up towards the desk. “Oh, good then. If Daehyun knows of this magica then surely he knows of its whereabouts. That makes this entire hunt so much easier. We can use the magica to track down the other hunters of this Matoki group, and with their heads in my hands I will be accredited.” It sounded so childishly simple, and Himchan had to remind himself often how simple minded Jaehwan could actually be. “He knows of the magica, but no more than that from what I’ve gathered. He’s bumped into it twice, that’s all. What I was implying is more so that we can narrow down which magica we’re searching for, and then find how it connects to the hunter group. A fire user, one more powerful than the rest, one that Daehyun would recognize. We can send Daehyun out to search for him, I can accompany to make sure he isn’t stupid in how he responds to the thing once he finds it...” Jaehwan’s eyes had dulled with lack of focus as Himchan explained his strategy, but the light returned to them quickly once the younger’s words cut short. “Right then. What are we waiting for? Send Daehyun out and-”

A knock interrupted him. Himchan could already sense who was behind the door and muffled a groan, wishing that whatever Daehyun had to say could wait. “I’m in a meeting,” he growled out, knowing that the younger would dodge anything of the sort, but Jaehwan was quick to interrupt. “Daehyunnie, it’s just me. Please come in.” 

If Daehyun had had a choice, he surely would’ve hurried out of the house, guising that he didn’t hear. But vampires heard all, and Jaehwan was far older than Daehyun. The door swung open, and the younger looked entirely displeased towards the man sitting in the chair next to Himchan. “Jaehwan,” he muttered, voice growling a little as the words spilled past thick lips. Jaehwan stood, stepping forward with his hand out. “You can’t even call me Master? I’m generations older you know. You’d think Himchannie would’ve taught you some respect in these… what… ninety years now?” 

“I don’t respect killers,” Daehyun mumbled, and Himchan would’ve smacked him upside the head if he was close enough. He’d long taught Daehyun and Junhong to respect Jaehwan, he hadn’t needed to explain the danger in getting on the man’s bad side. Perhaps Daehyun figured that, being Himchan’s child, and Himchan being Jaehwan’s child, he could get away with such insolence. Jaehwan’s darkening eyes countered his welcoming smile, and the man reached forward, grabbing Daehyun’s hand and shaking it limply. “You should mind yourself, Daehyunnie,” the man muttered, leaning forward. Daehyun tensed, but there would be no way he could resist the force of Jaehwan’s pressure. The man was too powerful, too old. Daehyun was almost human in comparison, and Himchan swallowed tightly at the danger very present in such a basic interaction. “I can always decide that you should be my child instead.” Jaehwan was leaning in, his head turning into the curve of Daehyun’s shoulder and his neck. The younger jerked his hand, trying to step back, but Jaehwan was a statue if Daehyun was a feather. Himchan noted the fear present on his child’s face, sudden and erratic, and that was what had him shoving out of his chair. 

“Jaehwan.” His voice was cold, clear, and loud. He rarely disrespected his master in this way. “We have a meeting to finish.” The man chuckled, Himchan could feel Daehyun’s shiver as Jaehwan’s breath coasted across his neck, then he was letting go. Daehyun took a startled step back as he was freed, appearing almost panicked enough to dart out of the room. Jaehwan would never actually bite him, that would be going against legal code, and legal code was necessary to obtain such political power that Jaehwan longed for. But the risk alone was enough, and given Daehyun’s trauma with Jaehwan, Himchan figured it was a rather wicked thing for his master to imply. 

“Daehyun, leave. Tell me what you have to tell me tomorrow.” It was an order, and Daehyun had no qualms in following it, being sure to slam the door as hard as he could when he was beyond it. Jaehwan laughed, crystal clear, childishly, and Himchan only felt the anger of a guardian whose child had been intentionally harmed. “He’s still the same kid,” Jaehwan grinned with a sigh, turning up the sound on the news. Himchan muted the computer, and his master glanced at him in confusion. “Don’t tease him,” Himchan requested quietly. “He has every right to fear you.” Jaehwan hummed, lost in thought once more before his shoulders shook with another laugh and he was forcing Himchan’s finger off the mute button to continue pressing up the sound. “Perhaps.” 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------

The force of his shoes on the ground stung through his legs, and Junhong was peeking out of his room, but Daehyun didn’t care. He was out the door in minutes, bare faced, hood up, the last remaining droplets of sunlight stinging at the exposed skin of his face and hands. Even sunlight was better than that fucking Jaehwan. Daehyun could care less if the man was Himchan’s master, not after what he did, ninety years of fury being nowhere near enough to settle. 

The streets of Seoul were dead as always, some humans scurrying to get indoors before the sun fully set, though there was no way they’d make it in time unless they took refuge in a pit-stop or hotel for the night, the residential districts being too far away. A few cars swished past him as he crossed the street, having no need to wait for a light when a hit from a car wouldn’t kill him, especially if he’d break the damn thing for trying. He was fuming even after ten minutes that Jaehwan would dare mock biting him. The man knew what he had done, he knew why Daehyun hated him so much, and he fucking toyed with the terrible past like a child with a golden crown. Himchan couldn’t have done anything lest damage his important relationship with his master, but Daehyun was mad at him too anyway. He was mad at everyone and everything, he didn’t even know where he was going. 

Hands shoved into his pockets, head bowed from under his hoodie, he brushed past a human that seemed to be in no hurry and glanced up in halfhearted curiosity as to what human wouldn’t be sprinting for safety from the night by now. The man’s tank top had no method of hiding the intricate tattoos dancing over his skin, different colors and symbols, and the stranger didn’t turn around, not seeming to notice that he had just touched a vampire. Daehyun stopped, scarlet eyes following the man as he walked as if he also had nowhere to go, nothing to fear. 

This person was one of them. This was a fact, and if his heart still beat it would be racing. Those tattoos were runes, he could see the outlines of a dagger hilt under the baggy fabric of the young man’s shirt. As if calling out to him ‘Come try to kill me,’ the man walked loosely and calmly. Baiting. The hunters were baiting a vampire like this, but no vampire would dive for a target whose blood smelled so unappealing. It was surely the product of a rune that he was so unappetizing, so why was he the bait? Daehyun glanced around the now nearly barren street before turning to lurk after the human, interest becoming too overwhelming to ignore. This person wasn’t the normal bait, no one who baited would put a tattoo on themselves that made their blood disgusting. It meant that they had someone else, and now that he was searching for Daehyun could smell honey in the air, his tongue darting across his lips habitually as the scent was oh too familiar. 

The Matoki were here, and his suspicions were correct that Yoo Youngjae was one of them, along with this man who had suddenly whipped into an alley, playing on his phone as if distracted. Daehyun chuckled, his anger dissolved with glee. Walking deliberately past the alley, he made eye contact with the man hiding beyond, slipping back his hood to reveal his red eyes, his gleaming grin, before he was a mere shadow of the night, flashing through the town in search of the other members, one in specific, of this famous Matoki group that Himchan was so interested in discovering.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((I’m not so confident about this chapter, but I hope it’s still satisfying to read~ Things are picking up, and finally the humans interact with the vampires, though it’s just Daehyun and Jongup making eye contact thus far. As for Daehyun and Jaehwan’s interaction, I hope it wasn’t too confusing~ It’ll make more sense later in the story, I promise <3 Have a good night.))


	11. Impossible Mission

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for some kind of gory moments.

A week without a call from the VED staff, and Yongguk could almost call it a vacation. After they took down the vampire in the hotel, their publicity had somehow shot even further through the roof than before, and now the news couldn’t run on for longer than an hour without presenting one of their faces. He himself wasn’t fond of it, the entire world knowing who they were and what they looked like. It put them in danger. Making themselves stand out to humans would only make them stand out to vampires as well, and he wasn’t so fond of the idea of their house being on watch, or more vampires aiming to jump them when they went on a hunt. It was possible, it was plausible, that if vampires had any form of organized grouping they would team up to take down hunters causing the most problems. Yongguk just wanted Jongup and Youngjae to live out their youth with all of their limbs attached, all fame aside.

 

Plus, he couldn’t easily leave the house anymore. Jongup didn’t often make trips outside of the house without one of them, the communication barrier being too complicated to have to explain to every stranger that tried to talk to them. Youngjae didn’t want to ever leave his room again after a preteen girl started poking at his bite scars the other day in a fit of ‘romanticism’ as she called it, so in the end that left Yongguk, who also wasn’t so much of a people person, navigating around a crowded grocery store in the daytime when he wished he could be at home sleeping.

 

Heads would turn as he walked by, just famous enough to be recognized, not enough for everyone to know from where. He definitely had the build of a hunter, six feet tall, all muscle, but he didn’t have the obvious runed tattoos that Jongup had nor the unnaturally honey-colored irises that Youngjae had to make him visibly stand out. Hair curly over his face, some glasses that he didn’t need resting over his nose, he tried hard to not make it obvious that he was the same ‘badass Matoki leader’ as they made him out to be on television, but two people in this one trip had darted up to him gasping about how he must’ve been so cool, taking down that evil hotel vampire.

 

He just wanted to buy his groceries and go. It was just enough to make dinner that night, some rice, vegetables, some chicken. Somehow it still took him two hours to get back out the store’s doors from when he left the house. The parking lot was crowded as well, cars and people in a silent battle of who would cross the road first, mothers pushing their children carts that were molded into dragons from plastic, large families walking dead in the center of the street to the hassle of the cars trying to park beyond them. He no longer felt a part of this civilization, not after the Red Moon took so much away from him, not after he became nocturnal, became a hunter, became someone who had killed something akin to a demon with his bare hands. The rest of Seoul, no, the rest of the world had become accustomed by now to a regular schedule: Stay in at night, make sure the runes are properly set, listen to the VED’s broadcasts when they come on, and stay alive. With this added to their daily lives, the population found solace in the sunlight, where they would pretend like vampires didn’t exist and like they stayed in at night by choice.

 

But Yongguk couldn’t pretend, not after what he had seen. Vampires could not escape the front of his mind, fears of his family being in danger being too realistic and prevalent to just ignore. He wasn’t like any of these people and it was almost like they knew it, shooting him strange, curious glances as they passed by a lone man with curly hair and glasses, thick muscles and a tiny shopping bag of just the necessities in hand.

 

This was why Yongguk was so shocked when something tugged at the back of his sweater. He glanced back and blinked at the form of a child, without a parent or anyone else, staring back up at him before he realized just what state this child was in.

 

It was a young girl but her long, dark hair was badly matted, large eyes red and exhausted, dark circles under them. She was wearing a plain black dress, and on her frail neck and collarbone were scattered, messy bites clear as day, parts of the entire wound red and infected. Immediately he dropped to his knees in front of her, now on equal height. “What happened?” he breathed, pulling the girl into his arms right as she began crying. He didn’t know what this might look like to onlookers but at the moment he didn’t care, knowing from plenty of experience that this girl had gone through hell and back. “You know who I am right?” he asked, glancing around and noting that people were staring now as they walked past, at the strange man who was now holding a strange child. The young girl nodded slowly and Yongguk hummed, standing and taking her small hand into his; She couldn’t have been older than eight.

The car ride was quiet, the girl’s sobs silenced by her own will, Yongguk choosing to leave the radio off to give her peace of mind. The house wasn’t so far away, and they were pulling into the driveway within a few minutes, Yongguk getting out and opening the young girl’s door for her, letting her slip from her seat, hugging herself tightly as she hiccuped through her silent cries. Grabbing the grocery bag in one hand and holding her hand in the other, he unlocked the front door and stepped in, immediately shouting, “Jongup, Youngjae, kitchen!” The girl flinched as he raised his voice, and he stroked her hair softly in apology before leading her to the kitchen table, flicking on the light above the stove and dropping the grocery bag down. Youngjae was the first to filter into the room, blinking when he saw the young girl curled up in one of the chairs. “Guk, you really adopted another-” The glare the leader sent to Youngjae cut off the younger’s word, and he sat down beside the child, blinking at her rather uselessly before asking, “What’s your name?”

She stared at Youngjae for a long time and Yongguk could see the recognition on her expression once she saw his beautiful eyes. “My name is Tzuyu,” she whispered. “You’re the magica hunter.” Youngjae flinched, but slowly nodded. “Yes, I am,” he carefully responded. Jongup walked into the room at that moment, his expression showing the same confusion Youngjae’s had, though he chose to skid around Yongguk to the cabinet above the stove to fish out the first aid kit. “Is it okay if we treat your neck?” Yongguk asked for him, since Jongup’s hands were too full to type, and Tzuyu nodded fraily. Jongup knelt to her side as Youngjae continued talking to distract her, Yongguk pulling out a can of chicken broth to warm up for the girl who looked too thin to be eating properly.

“How old are you?” Youngjae asked, his voice softening just the slightest amount, not having the same resentment for a child as he would for most adults he came across. She shied away from Jongup’s hand as he pressed a cotton ball soaked with antiseptic to her neck, but held still as he dabbed it on her wound. “Ten,” she mumbled with a shuddered breath, flinching as the liquid stung a bit. She didn’t look ten, which only further pointed to her malnutrition. “Do you have parents?” Youngjae asked next. It would’ve been a strange question to anyone else. Of course she had parents, everyone had parents. But the three of them no longer assumed anything, not after what they had seen, not after knowing that none of them had parents themselves anymore. Tzuyu’s voice quieted even further, and she slowly whispered, “No.”

Youngjae parted his lips to respond after a pause, but Tzuyu was already speaking again, her voice louder, more desperate. “That was why I came to you. The Matoki are the only people who can help us,” she whimpered, Jongup pressing a pad of gauze to her cleaned neck and taping it down with medical tape. “I live in an orphanage with thirteen other kids, they’ve been my family since… since forever.” Her voice trembled, Jongup rubbed her back gently and she relaxed a little. “But a little less than a month ago, in the middle of the night, our orphanage was attacked. We didn’t have funding for wards so ours were fake, we figured just seeing them would make vampires go away but… but…” She shook her head quickly. “They killed our caretakers, our noonas, they’re all dead.” Tzuyu began to cry again, but was determined to continue. “And they brought in these cages, now we’re hostages to them. They just drink their fill and shove us back in, three of my friends have starved to death, two of my friends were killed by vampires just for escaping-” she choked on her breath, and it took two minutes before she could calm down enough to continue. Yongguk poured the warmed broth into a bowl silently, added in the vegetables, his expression stoic and his heart torn. Even kids suffered horribly these days, kids that should be living life in the sun were having to fear for their lives.

“I got away, I’m the only one who did. They’re probably looking for me, once the sun sets I’m in danger.” Youngjae flinched, and Yongguk understood why immediately. He himself would understand what it felt like fearing the sunset, knowing that a hunt would begin at night time with him as the prey. Tzuyu was so young, and yet she had to fear such a thing. The magica’s eyes softened further, and he asked with urgency, “What orphanage is this? Can you tell us how many vampires are regularly there?” Another nod. “Haneul,” the young girl breathed. It was the name of a childcare center and an orphanage both around ten minutes down the highway. She’d run a long way searching for them. “And there are normally three vampires who stay inside the building during the day. The rest come in whenever they feel like it.” She paused before shaking her head. “Please save us, please save my friends,” the young girl sobbed. “They’re all I have left, I don’t know what else to do.” The three hunters in the room exchanged glances over the girl’s shaking shoulders and echoing cries. Their eyes were already filled with determination, and Yongguk gave a slow nod.

They were going on a hunt tonight.

 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

 

Tzuyu was safe at the house. They told her not to leave for any reason and she seemed very relieved in promising that she wouldn’t. Packed up and ready to go, extra medical supplies in Jongup’s bag, they stepped out the door and loaded into the car.

It was silent. Despite how important it was, this was going to be their most dangerous hunt yet. One vampire was what they usually dealt with and they often still struggled. Two was a high risk, something Yongguk wasn’t comfortable with. Three… Three was too many. They needed to be cautious, to make sure that not all three of the vampires were fought at once. Yongguk had brought stuns that the VED made, artificial sunlight bombs in a sense that would at least blind a vampire, if not burn one that was close enough to the detonation. The sun hadn’t set yet, which meant they had plenty of time to get the kids out before the vampires would wake.

 

The orphanage was small, they’d passed it once or twice on the way to some other destination but had never payed it any mind before. It was an old building, one that had been there since Yongguk was growing up, and like many other buildings they’d almost forgotten that it had a purpose. The rune on the wooden door was fake and it was obvious. The fact that vampires would even prey on kids… Yongguk fucking hated them all.

The hinges creaked when the door swung open, and the sunlight from behind them was the only light. Immediately the scent of blood and other bodily fluids hit them harshly, and Yongguk held his breath somewhat as he pushed into the room, his steps slow and quiet on the creaky wooden floorboards. Just because the vampires were asleep didn’t mean they wouldn’t wake up. First priority was tearing the dark curtains down from the windows, and he and Jongup got to that immediately. Youngjae however was distracted, stepping further into the room and kneeling beside one of the five dog crates lined along the wall.

Inside were two children no older than seven, staring at him with wide, terrified eyes, their lips tightly sealed and their arms curled around their small forms. They all had simple black clothes and deep, infected wounds scattered over their necks. For a little under a month, Tzuyu had said, these kids had been starved and preyed on without any help or notice from the outside world. Youngjae found a key hanging from above the crates and quickly unlatched the lock keeping the kids in, swinging the door open and stepping back. His voice was hushed as he muttered, “We’re with the VED. Go wait outside.” He said the same thing to the rest of the kids as he let them out, and not a single person argued as they made their way into the sunlight filtering in from the front door.

 

Yongguk and Jongup had opened all of the windows, at least for now the place would be bright enough that no vampire would dare step into the room. They could set the traps while they had a little free time. Yongguk turned to Jongup murmuring, “Take the kids somewhere safe and send a text to the chairman that we’ve taken up this case. Get as much help as you can here, I’m not sure what condition we’re going to be in when this is over.” The younger’s eyes slowly widened, and he pulled out his phone to type out a protest, but Yongguk wasn’t having it. “I need Youngjae’s magic tonight and we need someone to put attention from this building so that we don’t get attacked by even more vampires while we’re fighting. After you get the kids to safety, text the VED, explain the situation. Have them get to the kids as first priority. Afterwards, walk the streets. Anywhere within a mile of here will do, don’t get too close. The vampires… They know our faces, I’m sure of it. If they see you, they won’t think to come here. If another vampire shows up while we’re fighting, we really might die, Uppie. This is important.”

The younger’s hand trembled around his phone before he slowly slipped it back into his pocket. Yongguk pulled him into a hug, muttering, “I’m not trying to scare you, but this is the most dangerous hunt we’ll have yet. Even if you want to be here to help, you’re helping the most by keeping those kids safe and keeping other biters off of our scent. Youngjae using his magic will attract them here. I believe in you to keep them away, alright?” A quick nod, but it was halfhearted. Youngjae in a small, rare display of affection nudged at Jongup’s hand with his own, reaching up and patting his shoulder gently. “We’ll be fine, Uppie,” he muttered, tone soft. Jongup turned before he could find anymore hesitation and walked out the door, pulling out his phone and typing away, probably to tell the kids that he couldn’t respond to them verbally.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The sun was setting now, low in the sky, the room darkening immensely. Yongguk had turned on a lamp, but otherwise none of the lights were functioning, the bulbs probably burning out and the vampires having no reason to change them with such acute night vision. The lamp’s light was orange and faded, leaving ominous shadows cast over the dusty wooden floors and the bars of the cages that reflected off of the walls. They were crouched behind the counter of the orphanage kitchen, waiting impatiently for the vampires to stir. Youngjae had suggested just killing the things in their sleep, but Yongguk was quick to deny it. Vampires could hear heartbeats and breathing, they would wake in an instant if they heard a door creak open so close to them. They were probably already awake, waiting out the sunlight before coming out to see what had happened while they slept. No sense in stepping into a dark room to kill a vampire that was already waiting to kill you.

So they waited. The silence was almost suffocating, their ears rang in the place for the noise that they couldn’t make out. Vampires were too stealthy to listen for, especially if they knew that there were intruders in their makeshift lair. Youngjae had his back to the counter, staring out at the little space in front of him within the tiny kitchen. Yongguk could feel his heartbeat in the tattoo that he held gently, knew that Youngjae’s was racing as fast as his own. Their most dangerous hunt yet… Jongup was an optimist, the type who believed that enough willpower or determination could give you the ability to survive anything and overcome anything. Yongguk was far more logical, trying over and over to piece together a plan that wouldn’t end with one of them dull eyed and cold on the floor.

 

A creak from down the hall, Youngjae jumped like a startled animal but stayed in place, Yongguk’s fingers tightened around the hilt of the dagger that he’d sharpened so intensely last night that just barely grazing the blade would draw blood. They were awake, probably, and it would be time to fight for their lives soon. There was a rush of adrenaline upon this realization that, even after numbers of survived hunts, would never dull or fade away. The sun was too low to shine light anymore, the only source of comfort being the two lamps in the living room that casted a yellow tint to the green paint on the walls… Unit the two lamps suddenly bursted with a loud crash, Yongguk clutching onto Youngjae’s arm in a death grip as they were plunged into darkness.

 

The streetlights were the only light now, and the vampires were absolutely in the room, could absolutely sniff and know exactly where the hunters were hiding. Youngjae swallowed audibly, his fingers slowly opening from their fist, and Yongguk grabbed his wrist. He was going to ignite his hand, use his fire to light up the room. They needed to save that trick for later; Vampires could smell the sweetness to his blood, but half of them didn’t know that it meant magic. They needed to rely on every advantage they had during the fight they were about to take on.

 

“Humans~” A gentle, teasing voice lulled, and Yongguk could feel Youngjae’s heartbeat racing with his own before he pulled his hand away from the tattoo, not wanting to confirm his fear any further. The voice was from right behind the counter that they were ducked behind. His dagger was tight in his hand, his gun on his waist, and he slowly reached into his back pocket to pull out a tiny, circular object that casted the faintest glow on his palm. “Come out, come out, or I’ll come find you instead~” The vampire seemed to think they were some of the children, which was another surprise they could use against it. It sounded like there was only one in the room, but they couldn’t know. Yongguk slowly turned on his heels, facing the counter, taking a deep breath and nudging Youngjae in warning before throwing the glowing bead as hard as he could over them.

There was a burst, and Yongguk was quick to cover his eyes with his hand, Youngjae doing the same as loud unison of screams echoed through the small building. The light was fading already, sun bombs were never created to last very long, and the two hunters rushed around the counter, already sprung into action. Three vampires were crouched in the room and Yongguk’s heart skipped at the sheer power that each of them probably would have; How the hell were they going to do this…? Maybe they should’ve told Jongup to come back, maybe someone else could’ve watched the kids, but for now all they had was two hunters versus three monsters.

Youngjae dove forward, grabbing one by the neck and igniting his palms immediately, the biter screaming as the flames engulfed its throat, its elbow throwing back to knock Youngjae in the face just hard enough that the hunter was thrown back away from it. Yongguk tried to ignore the younger and focus on his own fight, rushing and stabbing with the intention of piercing deep through another vampire’s skull, but his blade was grabbed and he was tugged forward by it. The light was fading fast, the shadows of the room growing, and the vampires were recovering quickly from the disorientation they experienced while it shone. Youngjae sidestepped a punch and grabbed the male vampire’s shirt, setting it alight, the creature tore it off with a snarl of discomfort before flashing behind the magica and grabbing his neck tightly, spinning him around. Yongguk managed to slice a deep gash across the female vampire’s neck, but it was too low and not quite deep enough to be fatal, the vampire pushing him into a corner with skilled punches and kicks.

Youngjae ignited his hands and grabbed the vampire’s wrists as it lifted him by the neck, his feet kicking uselessly as he dangled inches above the ground. Yongguk whipped around at the sound of him choking, distracted just enough to take a hard kick to the stomach, falling back into the wall on the other side of the room with a gag, feeling his muscles straining to regain the strength that had been knocked out of them. The vampire holding Youngjae up screamed at the fire searing black into its wrists but it didn’t let go, and the third vampire made its appearance by grabbing the arm Youngjae was using to burn its partner into one hand, taking it into the other. Youngjae struggled harshly, Yongguk himself in a daze flinching as the crack that echoed through the room was followed by Youngjae’s scream as his wrist was jerked backward and the fire on his fingers extinguished. The vampire holding his hand yanked it and the younger cried out again, a gagged, ugly sound as the first vampire’s grip around his throat only grew tighter, its clawed fingers digging a gash slow and deep across his chest. Yongguk scrambled to his feet but collapsed again as a kick was delivered straight to the side of his head, the female vampire laughing aloud.

“How pitiful,” she giggled, grabbing Yongguk by the hair and dragging him up the wall with impossible strength before kneeing him in the stomach once again. Blood sputtered out when he coughed, and he reached for his gun but couldn’t wrap his fingers around it. They were going to die, they were both going to die. Youngjae’s struggling was fading into frail movement, Yongguk could barely see his eyelids falling heavy through the light of the streetlamps outside, and he couldn’t let Youngjae die no matter what happened to himself.

 

With a scream of determination, Yongguk slammed his forehead into the vampire’s face, the creature dropping him in favor of gripping her nose as he whipped out his gun and fired straight into the palm she was covering it with. He only had three silver bullets left, a last resort, but he no longer cared. The vampire fell limp, and the creature that had broken Youngjae’s wrist lunged towards Yongguk in a fury, the hunter lifting his trembling hand and firing. The bullet hit the creature in the shoulder, enough to stall it but vampires didn’t suffer wounds like humans did, it wouldn’t die from that even if the silver was making it scream and writhe now. Yongguk ran forward, holstering his gun just long enough to pull out his dagger again and stab it through the creature’s throat, tearing back and forth in two quick motions, the vampire’s head falling from its body and rolling onto the ground. The last vampire dropped Youngjae, leaving the magica collapsed in a heap on the floor as it sprung towards Yongguk. The hunter grabbed for his gun, but there was no outspeeding a shadow. He gagged and more blood spewed onto his lips, iron and pain echoing through his body as sharpened nails were shoved with a violent force into his stomach, piercing through. He felt his legs giving out underneath him, felt the world spinning as he collapsed, felt the heat from Youngjae’s fire as the younger sobbed roughly and the vampire screamed, igniting into a mess of orange light.

The vampire sizzled as it died, the flames crackling until they too died away. The room was silent, dark and buzzing with death, the smell of burnt flesh and iron almost overwhelming despite how familiar the smell was. Yongguk tripped four times trying to get to his feet before he decided it was better to just crawl to Youngjae, who was curled into a ball cradling his arm. “Jae,” he gasped out, tasting the blood on his tongue that was hot and watered down by his saliva. “Jae, are you okay?” The younger nodded weakly, but Yongguk had never seen him look this frail, not since the day they picked him up off the street. He pulled the magica into his lap, unable to properly assess the damage in the darkness. They had to get outside. Jongup had surely called the VED to come by now, they’d be rescued shortly, but they had to get into the light so he could treat Youngjae’s wounds, his own as well if there was time.

 

He barely made it to his feet, barely stumbled out the door with Youngjae in his arms, and they both cried out when Yongguk tripped on the porch step and sent them sprawling into the ground below. The night was cold, windy, Yongguk could feel his clothes rustling against the deep wound in his stomach and wondered if it was deep enough to cause organ damage, to make him bleed out. Youngjae was shivering in pain but he would survive, at the very least he would make it, and that was all Yongguk cared about even if the VED didn’t come in time. They’d killed three vampires. It was impossible, unheard of, and they’d done it. He rolled onto his back, staring up at the half-moon above, sighing as exhaustion began to hit hard. His eyelids fluttered, Youngjae was going to be okay, Jongup was safe, the kids were safe, his mission was complete. With this knowledge, he let himself fall into sleep.

 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

 

Jongup was running. His fingers were tight on the two pulsepoint tattoos, one that was throbbing rapidly and the other that was barely beating at all. They were in trouble, he’d left them in trouble. Having left the kids to the care of a man who ran a warded restaurant and followed Yongguk’s orders. He walked the streets casually like someone who didn’t know what dangers were out there, playing a decoy so that no other vampires would arrive at the orphanage. He only encountered one at that time, and it had passed him by. All had seemed safe until he’d placed his fingers on his wrist. Jongup had darted towards the orphanage the moment he curiously felt the tattoos and realized just how dangerously his family’s hearts were beating. He could be too late. Putting more force into his legs despite how they burned, he shredded through the maze of streets.

 

He froze when he arrived. Yongguk and Youngjae were sprawled out on the sidewalk in front of the orphanage, both of them had closed eyes. Yongguk looked to be either dead or unconscious, Jongup could only tell by the way his heart fluttered in rhythm just barely. Youngjae’s eyes were squeezed tightly shut. There was blood on both of their clothing, Youngjae’s wrist was bent sideways, his neck was red, Yongguk’s cheek was blossoming with a bruise. This wasn’t what Jongup was looking at.

 

Rather, he was focused on the man leaning over Youngjae, stroking his cheek softly and holding the hand that wasn’t twisted unnaturally. A man in a hoodie, a very familiar build and jacket, it was the vampire that had passed him by while he played bait. The creature didn’t bother to glance up at his approach despite surely knowing that he was there, instead leaning down and pressing its lips against Youngjae’s neck. It was going to bite him, it was going to drink him dry while he was helpless like this...! Jongup whipped out his blade, taking three hurried steps forward, before the vampire coldly gazed upwards towards him. Its eyes were crimson red, its blonde bangs fell over its eyes, it was hovered over Youngjae a beast protecting its young. “Don’t,” it breathed, low and growling, “come any closer.”

Jongup obeyed. He had to get Yongguk and Youngjae treatment, but in no way would he risk their lives with this vampire hanging over them. It could kill them far faster than he could even hope to hurt it. The VED would be coming soon, they just needed to wait it out, but how long..? What would the creature do in that time..? The vampire leaned down once more, pressing its lips against the wide bruise on the side of Youngjae’s neck, muttering, “I shouldn’t have let them hurt you, I’m sorry I didn’t come in time.”

What..? Jongup swallowed tightly, eyebrows knitting together at the interaction. Why was this vampire coddling Youngjae like this? Most vampires wanted the magica for his blood, but this one hadn’t even attempted to bite him yet. “That was stupid though, Youngjae,” the vampire mumbled, voice sweet and lulling, it made Jongup feel nauseous to hear. How did the vampire know Youngjae’s name? “It was stupid to fight that many of them, you know? I always thought you were smart.” The vampire then lifted the magica’s broken wrist, sighing. “You’re so vulnerable right now. What if Jaehwan came, hm?”

This vampire had to be insane, Jongup decided. Who was Jaehwan? How did it know Youngjae’s name? Why was the vampire so sweet with Youngjae? It made no sense, absolutely no sense, but he didn’t have the voice to ask. The vampire whipped up to stare at Jongup again, its voice low and predatory again as it muttered, “You’re in more danger than you think, hunters.” Jongup’s grip tightened around his dagger as the vampire stroked Youngjae’s hair over his eyes again before rising to his feet. “Get him treated. If he dies, I’m going to kill both of you.”

And then, like the first time Jongup saw him, the vampire disappeared entirely.

He didn’t have time to be confused. Rushing up to his friends, Jongup felt tears welling up as Yongguk wasn’t moving, not as Jongup shook him, not as Jongup patted his face. “Guk,” he choked out, his damaged voice wrong and rough and barely sounding like the name, but he didn’t care what he sounded like. Yongguk wasn’t waking up. The tears fell quickly, this couldn’t be happening. Yongguk couldn’t die, he couldn’t die here, Yongguk was his everything, Yongguk was his savior, his brother, his leader. He stumbled to Youngjae and shook him but the other had fallen into unconsciousness as well, Jongup beginning to cry harshly as no amount of shaking, hitting, or anything could bring either of his family back to him. He grabbed the bag, searching for medical supplies, began wrapping Yongguk’s wound but it was too deep, it had already bled so much.

In the middle of a dark street, under a half moon, Jongup cried, patching his family until the ambulances and VED patrol cards pulled up with lights flashing silently.


	12. Just a Vampire

The lights were too bright, he could already tell such through his closed lids. His skin was bumpy with cold despite the weight of thick blankets pressing down on his chest, and Yongguk felt lost in a daze as he recalled over and over what had happened before he fell unconscious, what sort of thing he could’ve done to have made the situation better, to have saved himself and Youngjae from such pain and fear.

He couldn’t think of anything. His head was spinning even with his vision dark, he wondered if he was actually moving or if he was lying motionless on the bed, the world swirling around him instead. In favor of stopping how his brain swore to him that he was on some sort of roller coaster, Yongguk forced his eyes open. 

The lights were too damned bright, as expected. He winced as the one hanging above shone down like a spotlight on his pitiful form. He lifted his hand to block the light a little as if blocking the sun and noted the white sleeve of a hospital gown maybe too familiarly. He’d been here in the medical ward enough times to recognize the walls after all, and the fucking bright lights that he always told them to dim. 

There was another bed beside him, and he knew before he looked that Youngjae would be in it but didn’t expect to see other people in the room as well. Jongup was sleeping sitting up in one of the chairs pushed against the wall, no doubt wanting to be with them as they recovered, no doubt feeling guilty for leaving them behind in the first place. That was Jongup after all, feeling like the world’s faults were his own. Yongguk was the one who had ordered him to watch the kids, to distract. But Jongup would absolutely blame himself once he woke up and remembered the condition his team was in. 

The two other people in the room were quiet, a familiar man (though Yongguk couldn’t place from where) sitting and chatting to a little girl, Tzuyu, the girl from before, who was sitting in the corner on the floor despite how there was another empty chair near Jongup. The man had just as much energy as Tzuyu didn’t, and the girl almost looked bored of the conversation. Yongguk wondered who the hell the guy was to be annoying the kid that had suffered immensely over the past months, dragging himself to a sitting position in preparation to tell the guy to fuck off. 

The man’s head shot to stare at Yongguk with almost startled eyes before he smiled warmly. “Bang Yongguk, welcome back to the world of the living.” He chuckled. Yongguk wasn’t so amused. “Who are you?” he asked, voice gruffer than usual due to how long he’d probably been unconscious. Last he remembered it was nighttime before he’d passed out. The sky was black from beyond the window, which meant he had either slept for a few hours or a full day, maybe longer. 

“Oh, excuse my manners. My name is Kim Seokjin.” Ah, that was where he was familiar from. He was a reporter, one that absolutely loved retelling stories of the VED’s hunters and other strange events. He was well known to be someone you wanted to give every ounce of information you had, given that anything you wouldn’t tell him he’d just make up and tell to the world. Yongguk figured he was the source behind their faces being on the screens for the past week, but he hadn’t minded it enough to care at the time. 

“Do they really let reporters walk around wherever they want now?” Yongguk asked tiredly. Seokjin laughed, and despite his rather annoying atmosphere, the man seemed kind at heart. After years of dealing with scum, vampires, and fearful citizens, Yongguk could tell rather well who was a decent person and who had ulterior motives. Seokjin didn’t have a clipboard, notepad, or microphone on his visible presence, so Yongguk gave him a chance to redeem his existence in the room. 

“Only reporters like me, who don’t try to shove their way into a building like animals.” Seokjin chuckled, not seeming to mind that he was the only one laughing. “Either way, I didn’t come to report on this situation. I’ve already written up the report from the scene anyway, so I don’t really have any questions for you unless you’re willing to answer some.” The dead, cold look in Yongguk’s eyes seemed to answer that for him. “I figured not,” Seokjin grinned, before glancing down to the child in the corner of the room. Tzuyu’s eyes were tired, worn, her frail arms hugging her bruised knees. Someone had cleaned her up and pulled her hair up into a high ponytail, it looked cute on her, Yongguk figured. 

“She hasn’t talked, you know. Not since she presumably came to you three for help, hasn’t said a single word.” Seokjin sighed, but Yongguk was already shoving back the covers. The shirt the medical ward had provided him was unbuttoned, and he noted the tight, clean bandages wrapped around the bruised skin of his stomach. No one attempted to stop him, Seokjin seeming to already know that it was no use to try. His steps were individual struggles, and he was grateful to be able to collapse to a sitting position next to Tzuyu against the wall.

“You’re really brave kid,” Yongguk sighed, shutting out Seokjin completely in favor of talking to the young girl who stared at her shoes, not bothering to glance up when he slid down beside her. “Those vampires really were scary.” Seokjin cocked an eyebrow but didn’t say anything. Tzuyu stayed quiet, but her eyes flickered up to stare at Yongguk in her peripheral. It was a baby step, but a worthwhile one. “There were only three that visited regularly right? We killed three of them. There was a lady one, two guy ones. They’re all dead, those horrible vampires, we made them suffer first.” 

Suddenly a soft voice interrupted him, and Yongguk smiled as Tzuyu mumbled, “They made you suffer more.” Her tone was guilty, and Yongguk wondered if she was like Jongup, if she was the type to blame herself for asking for help, for leading them to a dangerous situation that they themselves volunteered to go into. He shook his head. “No,” Yongguk responded. “This? This is nothing. I’ve been messed up far worse than this and Youngjae…” They both blinked up to the magica; His neck had a thick ring of galaxy-toned bruises around it, his hand and wrist were wrapped tightly, delicately laid over the comforter he was practically swallowed by. “Youngjae could be far worse off.” 

“If it weren’t for me…” 

Yongguk was the one to interrupt this time. “If it weren’t for you, all of those kids, your family, would still be locked up in those rusty cages. If it weren’t for you, you and them would have to be grabbed and fed to those vampires over and over. Because of you, those kids are now safe in a new, more secure home. Don’t burden yourself, kid. You did more work towards this hunt than the three of us combined.” Tzuyu blinked up at him with wide eyes, and Yongguk smiled when he noted that they were glossed with tears. “I’m happy that you’re safe. I know Jongup probably already told you that, I’m telling you that now, and I bet you that Youngjae will tell you that once he wakes up. That’s what we do this job for, that’s what we fight for. Don’t sulk anymore okay?” 

“Okay.” Her voice was still quiet, but filled with a newfound determination, as if she had decided something in that conversation that Yongguk couldn’t yet recognize. She then glanced to Seokjin, who was grinning from ear to ear at the heartfelt discussion that he was overhearing. “This man gave me a proposal, should I take it?” Yongguk’s smile dropped, and he shot a glare to the reporter. “What did you tell her?” 

Seokjin laughed, holding up his hands in surrender, though his voice was playful and excited as he responded, “Nothing bad! I just told her that I have some connections that could benefit her if she was interested in being sort of like you guys.” Yongguk’s eyes narrowed. “Which means..?”

“She would make a fine hunter someday, being brave enough to escape such a dangerous situation and saving all of her friends like that. Don’t you think?” Yongguk sighed, rubbing his temples. “I -think-, Seokjin, that she’s too young to decide that.” The man hummed, muttered a soft ‘I guess’ before rising to his feet and stretching his arms outward. “Well, I already gave her my business card, and conveniently I also gave her one of the application forms I might’ve slipped from the receptionist desk. She can start small, you know. Maybe be a receptionist or something someday. Didn’t Jongup start young?” 

Seokjin was already out the door as Yongguk was calling out, “Jongup started at fifteen years old, not fucking eight!” The room fell quiet after the loud man had left, and Tzuyu herself rose to stand after determining that no one would continue to talk to her. “I’m going to go back downstairs. There’s a kind lady who let me sit in here to thank you, but I should probably go set up my new room.” Right right, even after the events that had happened, there was no way that she’d be going back to a dirtied, bloodstained, and dangerous orphanage. Yongguk stood and leaned down to rub her shoulder gently, a soft smile cast over his face that was usually reserved for his family. “Take care, Tzuyu. Don’t let that jerk Seokjin talk you into anything, but if you really do want to be a hunter someday, start training now.” Tzuyu nodded, and for the first time ever, Yongguk caught her smiling. “I’ll do that.” 

\-------------------------------------------------------------

“Where were you?” Himchan knew the answer Daehyun would say before he even heard it, even if it wouldn’t be the honest one. “Feeding.” Of course. It made zero sense that Daehyun could spend hours out of the house just to feed when feeding usually took twenty minutes at the most. It wasn’t like his child was a glutton, or someone who struggled to find prey given charisma, speed, and beauty. Junhong snorted a little when Daehyun blinked dully at Himchan as if the answer was the only reasonable out there. “Sure,” Himchan sighed, shaking his head. “I swear if I find that you’re out doing something illegal…”

“Right right, murder, arson, you name it,” Daehyun scoffed, rolling his eyes before kicking off his shoes at the doorway he’d been standing uselessly in and making to flop onto the couch, laying his head in Junhong’s lap despite the younger’s irritation. He attempted to look at the younger’s laptop screen, but Junhong had already minimized the tab. “You get so worked up about me going out and having a life but you don’t even bother to see what Junnie is watching all the damned time? What if he’s becoming a porn addict behind your back?” Himchan cocked an eyebrow before responding, “Firstly, I can trust Junhong because he hasn’t lied to me yet, unlike you recently. Secondly, I know Junhong is safe because he never leaves the damned house. Which, by the way, isn’t good,” Himchan sent a sharp look towards the youngest, who had already pulled up some video game and was pretending to be tuned out of the conversation. “But it’s better than having to worry all the time.”

“Don’t even know what you’re so worried about,” Daehyun mumbled, nuzzling his head further into the younger’s stomach until Junhong was trying to push him off, not quite strong enough to move him. “It’s not like anything is really dangerous out there. Just humans and other biters. We have nothing to scare us in the night, so I don’t-”

“Jaehwan.” The one name had Daehyun shooting up, eyes narrowing as he stared down his master. Himchan noted easily that the younger vampire had started to breath subconsciously, a human response to fear that sometimes doesn’t die quickly, despite how vampires didn’t have to. “Jaehwan is out there,” he continued after the pause, and Daehyun swallowed. “He wouldn’t do anything, it would piss you off.” 

“He’s already done something, he’s got you terrified. He’s not alone you know. He has twelve children other than myself, people hoping to use him to climb up the ranks, politicians he’s using as puppets behind the scenes. There are vampires out there looking for slaves that are a little tougher than humans, and you know damned well that one bite to the throat and-” 

“Please stop.” It was Junhong speaking this time, and Himchan frowned as he noted that Daehyun was trembling. Perhaps it had been coldhearted of him to bring up Jaehwan in such a manner, but it was for the best if Daehyun was more fearful of leaving the house, even just enough to keep him in while he wasn’t actually feeding. “I’ll stop. I just… I know that you miss humanity. You can’t hide it from me, Daehyun.” The oldest child bowed his head, and Junhong slowed his typing to a stop before slowly stroking the elder’s back despite how they rarely got along. 

“It’s why you go clubbing, it’s why you keep your bites intimate and put on all that makeup to look human when you leave the house. I’m not so bad of a maker that I haven’t noticed it.” Himchan himself took the effort to leave the kitchen, sitting down on the couch next to his oldest child and stroking his hair as Junhong rubbed his back. Daehyun had stopped breathing, calming down enough to do so, and his eyes were distant in thought. Quietly, Junhong raised his voice to speak, and Daehyun bit his lip at the words that came out. 

“Daehyun is fond of a specific human. Its why he keeps leaving.” He didn’t even try to argue, and Himchan knew it was true because of it. Junhong didn’t make up such things, being mature enough to not want to cause conflict, and Daehyun’s fingernails were digging into his hand. Himchan pull his hands into his own, not wanting Daehyun to accidentally harm himself despite how the wounds would just heal up right away anyway, sighing heavily. “What’s this human like? Have you bitten it yet?” 

“I don’t plan to drink from him.” Him, that word again. Himchan sighed as his lesson didn’t go through last time, the fact that humans should be considered food first and lifeforms later not seeming to pierce through Daehyun’s mental wall. “He’s… pretty. He doesn’t know about me so don’t worry about it too much. I just kind of watch him I guess. It’s a little creepy right?” Daehyun chuckled loosely, and Himchan sighed with a thickness in his throat. “Dae…”

“I know. You don’t like it right? It’s not good to get attached to humans or really anything.” Junhong silently closed out his game, closing his laptop with a quiet click and staring at his family’s gentle but tense debate. “I don’t like it,” Himchan agreed softly. “But I don’t have to like everything that you do. I’m not Jaehwan, I’m not going to dictate over your life.” Daehyun frowned, but said nothing, waiting for Himchan to continue. 

“Just be careful. You’re… you’re more important to me than you think, both of you. I know most vampires don’t really consider their clans to be family, but I do. I’ve raised you for a human’s lifespan, Daehyun, and I’m just starting to teach you the important things, Junhong. Even though you two can be difficult, I’ll never leave you or hurt you over anything. Please understand that.” Daehyun nodded, and Junhong hummed, the three falling silent as they stared at the coffee table, pristine and spotless as Himchan liked it. 

“There’s nothing wrong with favoring one human,” Himchan finally broke the silence. “But that’s what feeders are for. Knowing you, I doubt you’d want to capture it-”

“I don’t.” Himchan chuckled at Daehyun’s quick response before sighing at the content of it. “As expected. I hate to bring this up, but I’m sure you already know it. That human isn’t going to want you once it finds out what you are, Daehyun.” 

“I know.” Daehyun’s response was quick and quiet. “I already know that. I don’t know why I care about him at all honestly. At first he made me curious, then I realized that he was kind of pretty, wanted to make sure he didn’t die or something so I started to follow him around. I don’t know when I started to actually care, though. He…” Daehyun hesitated, “He got hurt last night, when I went out. I was so worried, I’m not sure why it bugged me so much that he was injured.” Himchan didn’t ask for details, given the emotional state his child was in right now. He brought Daehyun into his arms, Junhong leaned forward to curl up into the two as if he himself needed comfort in such a tense environment. Junhong was like that, he could read the air of the room maybe too well, to where someone upset near him would bring him into feeling upset as well. 

“You’re too kind, Daehyun,” Himchan muttered. “It’s not safe, not in this world. You care too much, you know?” The other paused before whispering in response, his voice rough with stress, with strain, “Isn’t it better to care in the first place rather than not caring at all?” Himchan didn’t respond, sighing before stroking his hand through Daehyun’s hair and standing to go grab a blood bag for himself and Junhong. 

“I’m going out again tonight,” Daehyun muttered, as if daring Himchan to tell him no. The elder shook his head slowly, closing the fridge with less force than usual, poking a straw into each bag with a familiar fluidity. “Just be safe.” 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

Youngjae woke to an empty room. The bed beside his was unmade, surely Yongguk’s doing. He was happy that the elder was in good enough health to be up and walking around, but the silence was unnerving after the events of yesterday night. He felt warm, but that wasn’t unusual. Fevers always came when he got hurt too badly, and while the medical staff had long learned to manage them, they couldn’t be entirely tamed. He shifted his head and winced as the motion sent a sharp pain through his neck. It wasn’t difficult to remember being strangled by something twice as strong as an average human, and Youngjae kicked off his sheets in a huff of tense anger. 

It wasn’t fair that vampires were so fucking impossible to fight. One wrong move and he suffered immensely for it. He didn’t even look to his hand, which throbbed beneath its tight bandaging, didn’t want to see the wrist that he knew was at the very least fractured. He’d be out of the hunts for at least a few weeks. That put Yongguk and Jongup in danger, given that he couldn’t assist them with his fire in that time. He was pitiful and he hated it. 

He could hear a clock ticking from somewhere beyond the cracked door. He wanted to leave, but he always wanted to leave when he felt confined even when there was nothing holding him to this bed at the moment. Yongguk told him not to run when he was anxious over something, but it wasn’t an easy habit to break. He wondered if Jongup and Yongguk planned to return to the room or if they were trying to let him rest peacefully, he wondered if Yongguk was doing okay. Memories flashed into his mind of the elder asking him if he was okay even as his lips were stained with coughed-up blood and red was staining his shirt in a spreading splotch. 

He moved to stand and his legs trembled. Vampires were powerful, the human body struggled to comprehend the weight of what a creature that looked somewhat humanoid could do until the aftereffects, where bruises were dark and limbs were shattered in a way that no human could inflict on another human. Youngjae had seen too many people die in hunts just by making a single mistake. When he’d grabbed the vampire’s shirt, attempting to light the entire body on fire, he hadn’t expected the thing to have such a high pain tolerance. That was his mistake, something as simple as that. He damn well nearly choked to death, and if it weren’t for Yongguk he would have been dead over it. 

He needed to leave. The walls felt tight around him and he needed some air, needed to think freely. It was the only reason why he went outside at night every now and then despite the dangers of it. Yongguk could yell at him later, for leaving with a broken wrist and a frail body. He made his way with quiet, paced steps out of the room, outside of the medical unit, down the hall, and finally out the double doors. The night air was a relief automatically. His hand hurt and his skin felt too hot, even in the cold, even without a jacket. There was a soft snowfall sprinkling down on the concrete, staining it with speckles of dampness one by one. He set out with slow steps, remembering as he always did how vulnerable he was with his sweet-scented blood and battered body. 

The park wasn’t far. Surely a vampire would figure out that he went there every so often and would hunt around, maybe that would even be today, but he couldn’t find it in him to care much. Once he started to feel cold again he would go back inside, once the fever couldn’t fight the chill from outside. But for now, he found his way to the swings, sitting on the set, ignoring how it creaked under the weight that was heavier than the children it was intended for. He didn’t really swing, rather spending the time rocking back and forth slowly, staring out into the night, into danger, wondering what in his mind was stopping him from feeling the fear that humans in the past few years had been ingrained to feel when the sun went down. Even Yongguk and Jongup were uncomfortable with the idea of staying out too late unless it was necessary. Maybe he was broken in that aspect too, someone flawed in consideration of natural selection. His blood attracted vampires, he didn’t fear them. He was literally a sitting duck, unwilling to fly away. 

But even with this thought, he couldn’t muster the energy to rise from the swing and go back. Surely Yongguk and Jongup would be upset that he’d left without telling him he was awake, it happened often that he let them down, but he really needed a breather from the guilt of his broken wrist and the stress of the fight the previous night. The swing creaked, back and forth. It was loud in the silence, and Youngjae longed for a cricket to chirp, but even they seemed to be afraid of the night nowadays. 

He hadn’t heard it coming, even as he listened for some form of noise, yelping loudly as an arm locked around his neck from behind and yanked him backwards off the swing. He knew it was a vampire already, he hadn’t heard the footsteps in the gravel, and he struggled harshly as a hand was pressed over his mouth, as the arm tightened around his bruised neck. “Shh,” the vampire cooed, its voice mocking as if speaking to a whining dog. He ignited his body but the vampire seemed prepared for that, grabbing his head where the fire didn’t reach and smashing it against the pole that held the swings up. Youngjae felt the world spin, felt his heartbeat in his skull, felt his body go lax and stiff at the same time, just enough so that his flames extinguished and he couldn’t beg his body to relight them loud enough for it to hear. 

“There,” the vampire laughed as if it hadn’t just used such a violent means of silencing him before its fist was tight around his hair, tilting his neck to the side. He struggled but it was slow, dull, he couldn’t function through the pulsing headache that was rapidly beginning to form. It was now that he should regret coming outside but more than anything he was afraid from the adrenaline that only came when he was in serious danger like this. His shoes dug into the gravel uselessly as he tried to gain leverage to pull himself away, the fingers of his good hand clawed into the arm around his neck with no gain. He felt the fangs dig in before he braced for them, and he cried out as the bruising only made the pain echo through his entire neck, a tremble wracking through his body as the vampire sucked at his neck sloppily. Only when his struggle was fading did it pull away, stroking his hair almost derogatorily. 

“You’re reckless, for a magica,” It laughed. “It’s convenient for me though. Jaehwan said you’d come back here eventually and sure enough, here you are.” Who was Jaehwan..? He couldn’t care too much, too focused on how lax his body had fallen. Was he being glamoured, or just physically exhausted from his previous wounds combined with the migraine that was piercing through his brain like nails. Perhaps it was both, given that he couldn’t ignite for the hell of him, the glamour probably being the work in that. “Yoo Youngjae, right?” He tensed, his struggle returning for an instant as the vampire laughed and pressed its fangs to his neck in warning. Hating his own obedience but being more afraid than defiant, Youngjae stilled. “That’s right. How would we not know you? Vampires watch the news too. Maybe you shouldn’t have let yourself be advertised as the magica in the biggest hunting group, hmm?” 

Now he was truly afraid. Vampires that only wanted him for his blood might spare him after they’d had their taste, it had happened a number of times in the past. But a vampire that knew of his status, that he had killed a number of their kind… Surely it wouldn’t just be here to drink. The glamour was just enough to still his body and yet not his mind, he screamed in his throbbing head but no amount of effort could move his limbs in this moment with the vampire so close, breath so prevalent on his neck, the blood trickle from its first bite streaking uncomfortably past the bruises. He should’ve at least told Yongguk that he was leaving, left a note, something like the elder always told him to do. His carelessness was eating away at him now, and he wondered how he couldn’t have been afraid earlier with a situation like this being possible. 

“But don’t worry, pretty,” the vampire muttered, its voice deep, young. “I’m not going to kill you.” The vampire’s grip slipped from his neck down to his waist, and he screamed to his body to set fire to its arm but only a soft flicker exhaled from his skin, the vampire smacking him across the face for even considering it. “I’m going to take you back to my master first, since he’s the one that wants you so badly. Don’t you see? There’s no use struggling, since all you hunters fear is death and you’re not going to die.” 

If he was taken back somewhere and not going to be killed, then he was going to be made into a feeder. He’d rather be dead. Calling every ounce of his strength into his hand, knowing that his fever could at least contribute some heat if he just focused it in one area, he twisted and grabbed the vampire’s face in his palm, igniting his hand and feeling relief as the creature let go of him to scream in pain. The relief faded instantly when the fire exhausted immediately and now the vampire was angry. Youngjae scrambled to his feet but he wasn’t fast enough to outrun a beast like this, and immediately he was pinned to the ground, crying out as the vampire pressed heavy weight against his broken wrist. “You’ve fucked up,” the creature growled, its face stained with burns, eyes closed in a swollen wince. “I don’t have to kill you to tear you apart, you know that? Jaehwan just wants you to be biteable, you don’t have to be in one piece-”

The vampire never finished its sentence as suddenly it was no longer on Youngjae. A figure was standing above him, a dark hoodie pulled over its head, and Youngjae found himself trembling in relief at the thought of Yongguk or Jongup being there. He slowly crawled to his knees, attempting the strength to stand, when suddenly his so-called savior stepped forward towards the vampire. He didn’t have a weapon, was he perhaps a magica too…? The vampire however narrowed its eyes, muttering, “You’re making a mistake, kid.” 

The voice that came was less familiar than Youngjae expected, but still one that he had heard before somewhere, though he couldn’t place it to a face. “If Jaehwan wants him tell Jaehwan to come deal with me.” The vampire laughed, crawling to a stand, its smirk contorted harshly with the burns on its face. “Oh he will, alright. You mutter that now but you nearly piss yourself every time we bring your clan over. Did you claim this human? Is he yours? You stupid kid.” The vampire took a step back, then another. “Jaehwan will hear about this, and so will your master. You’re going to get hell for what you’ve just done.” 

And then it was gone. 

Youngjae only exhaled three seconds after the vampire had disappeared, but his breath caught once again when the hooded figure turned and knelt in front of him. Ruby red eyes, pale skin… Another vampire..?! He crawled backwards, his wrapped wrist collapsing under him and sending him down to his back, his other hand igniting in preparation for the vampire to approach, the fire willing to bend to his will now that the vampire glamouring him had disappeared. “Dont… Don’t come closer,” he gasped, the adrenaline like a drug, the fear even stronger. He wouldn’t let them take him, he wouldn’t let them use him like cattle, he wouldn’t let them take him before he got to see how Yongguk was doing, before he could thank Jongup for sitting there with him in the times that he lulled in and out consciousness while being treated. The vampire however made no approach, simply crouching and staring at him with almost pitiful eyes before sighing, “You weren’t this scared of me when you were bleeding out at that hotel.” Hotel…?

The memory hit Youngjae as sharply as the headache did. His first real encounter with a vampire was when he watched fourteen people drop dead in seconds, was when he felt fangs enter his neck and ignited his entire body so fiercely that the creature had been charred and he’d been hit with the fever immediately after. It was when a vampire approached him, knelt next to him like he was doing now, and chatted with him like they weren’t predator and prey. Youngjae shivered, the cold of the night piercing through his fever for just a moment before the heat was back. “It’s you,” he mumbled, but the realization didn’t bring him much comfort. Those ruby eyes were brighter in the night than they had been in the hotel, and it had been over a year since he’d seen this vampire so why was it here…? It had told him to run, to hide from it… Had it been trying to find him this entire time?

“I’m not really going to capture you or something like I said before, that was a joke.” He couldn’t bring himself to believe that he was safe yet, so Youngjae stayed prepared to burn the hell out of this thing no matter how familiar it was if it made an attempt to touch him. It seemed to not have that sort of intention, staying crouched, rocking on its heels. Its eyes softened as it scanned Youngjae’s face, its voice softening as well as it gently asked, “I’ve saved you three times now and you still look at me like I’m out to get you.” 

“What..?” Youngjae muttered, hating the way his voice trembled. The vampire smiled, and he wondered why the glint of fangs didn’t scare him as badly as it normally did. “Time one, at the hotel. Time two, in the alley when those asshole humans were chasing you. Time three…” The vampire tilted its head, glancing around the empty, silent park. “Right now.” 

Wait, it made no sense. Youngjae remembered the hotel easily, but the second time? 

“It was you…?” He whispered in disbelief. He had only vaguely remembered one vampire killing every one of the men before turning on him, before someone who he couldn’t see had punched and beaten at that vampire so brutally that it laid still after the hits. The person who had the strength to take down such a creature so easily had to be inhuman, but Youngjae never thought a vampire would actually attack another vampire… And yet he’d seen it once again tonight, right before his very eyes. 

“You’re not safe here,” the vampire before him sighed before rising to his feet. Youngjae attempted to do the same and stumbled once, twice, three times before regaining his footing. “You’re injured, you’re bleeding, you’re tempting.” Once again, that word that sent ice down his spine. However, the vampire seemed uninterested in his scent. “More than you think, you’re being targeted. I risked my ass just now to save you, but I won’t be able to do it again.” 

“Why…?” Youngjae’s question was responded to with a quick tilt of the vampire’s head, its brows coming together in confusion. “Why did you save me? You’re… you’re just a vampire, you’re…”

“I’m NOT just a vampire,” the other snapped, and Youngjae took a shaky step back at its sudden outburst. “My name is Jung Daehyun, and I’m better than the rest of the scum you run into. You should know that, given how many opportunities I’ve had to bite at you and I haven’t. Don’t insult me that way.” It turned, and Youngjae processed that it had a name, not having considered that vampires would have names similar to humans. Jung Daehyun, Daehyun. If he’d heard the name without a face, he would’ve figured it was just another human like him, not that it was the name of a vampire that had been following him for the past year. Daehyun’s red eyes cast to the ground, and his voice was suddenly so quiet that Youngjae could barely hear the words. “I don’t care if you’re grateful or whatever, but at least value your life enough to not come out here defenseless again. You don’t need to know why I care, but be careful. Plenty of vampires have heard of your team now and plenty are angry, vengeful, and desperate to get a taste of you and your friends. Just because you can kill a few of us doesn’t make you invincible. Just because you can control fire, as shown earlier, doesn’t mean that you have an invulnerable weapon.” 

Without a goodbye, without warning, the vampire then disappeared, leaving Youngjae to process those words over and over in his pounding head as he stumbled back to the VED’s gates, finally feeling the cold of the snow trickling into his bones.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I hope this chapter was alright. Leave a comment if you have one, and thank you for reading. <3


	13. Pretend

His fingers scattered across the keyboard, little clicks like the chirps of mice comforting to his ears. Curled up in his bed, the lights determinedly off, all of his room looked and felt just as it did the night before, and the night before that. His pillow was flat from his back pressing against it as it did now, and the clock ticked silently, ignored by its owner. 

Daseot hadn’t replied in a while. He was probably busy, but that didn’t stop Junhong from leaving the tab to the social media website they shared open just in case a notification dinged from the other side. He didn’t have to wonder much why the other was so important to him. His only remaining connection to the human world, the only knot left in a row of snipped strings that connected him to what he once was an increasing number of months ago. He had asked to be turned, it was better than the alternative, and yet. 

And yet, if it were an option, he would choose to breathe again. But it was not an option, and it hadn’t been an option before either. In the last of his human days he had sputtered blood from his lips that he would now swallow down twice a day, in the last of his human days he would fear sleep, knowing that he could be closing his eyes for the last time everytime they fluttered shut in exhaustion. 

He’d chosen to be turned. Himchan had been against it until he had begged, saying that Daehyun, his only child, was already rather a handful, saying that Junhong would long for a peaceful death once he was immortal. He didn’t care at the time, and he barely cared now. He would rather be a human than a vampire, but he would rather be a vampire than dead, and there was no way he would’ve survived this long without Himchan having slit his wrist and let Junhong drink from the wound that night. 

He was rather envious of Daseot, despite their friendship. A human that went to school, lived with his brothers, nothing to fear besides the creatures of the night, creatures just like Junhong that instead chose to dominate the moonlit city. If he could turn back time and change one thing, he would make it so that he wasn’t ill as a human. He would give himself health so that he never would have to resort to becoming a vampire. 

But he couldn’t complain too much lest it be ungrateful. After all, Himchan and Daehyun did their best to care for him. Himchan had immediately upon his turning brought him home, had spent the next few weeks calming him through his bloodlust, had and still continues to find feeder after feeder to fill up enough bags of blood to keep Junhong satiated for each coming week. Daehyun had taken longer to warm up to him, not liking the idea of Junhong interrupting the family that he and Himchan had become, but he’d come to toy with Junhong in the way an elder brother did with a younger one. 

A knock at the door snapped Junhong from his thoughts, and he didn’t have to mutter anything for Himchan to already be opening the door. Junhong pulled up his game on his laptop in habit before the elder would see that he was simply staring at an empty message box before he had entered. His maker sat beside him on the bed, ran a hand through his greasy hair, sighed softly in assumed pity as he always did upon finding Junhong locked in his dark room on the computer again. 

“You really should shower,” Himchan muttered as he poked a straw into the blood bag he held and passed it to the younger. Junhong took it gratefully, sighing at the warmth of the squishy plastic in his hand and taking a sip of sweetened blood that left a glaze of sugar and iron over his tongue. “Do I smell bad?” he retorted, a shallow joke, and Himchan chuckled loosely. “You forget how strong our noses are, Junhong. Daehyun’s been complaining for the past two days.” Another joke. Junhong didn’t take any offense, shrugging his shoulders and mumbling, “I’ll shower when I feel up to it.” Which pretty much meant never. 

Himchan’s smile faded at the comment and the implication behind it. “Jun,” he sighed, a pitiful, sympathetic tone. “You’ve got to take steps, you know? We’ve talked about this. You can’t hide in here and pretend nothing’s changed forever.” Junhong swallowed. He wasn’t fond of this talk, but it was happening more frequently the older he got. “I really don’t… think I’m ready, hyung.”

“But you haven’t tried in a while, Jun. You’ll never know if you’re ready if you don’t get out there.”

Himchan wanted him to drink properly. Like a vampire should. To find a person and drink from them. To drink from a human. Junhong felt the sediment shift in his stomach, and he swallowed down another gulp of bagged blood (that he pretended was artificial) to settle it. “I know you’re scared,” the elder continued. “Identity crises are common in newly turned vampires. Both myself and Daehyun struggled to adjust to this life, but…” he trailed off for a moment before slowly closing Junhong’s laptop, leaving them in darkness that they could see through easily with their inhumanly clear vision. “But you have to take steps towards adjusting. You are a vampire, Junhong, just like us. That doesn’t make you bad, that doesn’t make you a monster. But it does mean that you need blood to survive just like the rest of us, and the only source is…”

“Can’t I just drink from animals? Vampires in stories drank pigs blood,” Junhong gasped out, almost as a plead. Himchan slowly shook his head. “You’ll get sick. It would be the same as a human eating raw meat, it won’t settle in your stomach. Even bagged blood is human blood, Jun.” Suddenly his appetite went dry, and the warm, half empty bag in his hands felt much less appealing than before. “Himchan, I can’t. I can’t… do that though. I don’t want to see their eyes when I have to bite them, I don’t want them to look at me and see a-”

“To a sheep, a wolf will always be a monster,” Himchan interrupted. “To a wolf, a human will always be a monster. And to a human… well. There’s no getting around it. Even if you don’t bite them, they’ll see your eyes Junhong.” Junhong blinked, and his beautiful, rose-pink irises shone in the little light trickling in from the living room. They were glossy, as they usually were when they had this sort of conversation. “They’ll see your fangs and they’ll fear you. There’s no avoiding it. But you can’t spend the rest of eternity huddled up in here hiding from fate. You don’t have to be like those others who hunt humans for prey, you don’t even have to be like Daehyun who finds affection in them first. You can be yourself, Junhong, but you can’t just starve yourself.” 

The room fell quiet, the soft hum of Junhong’s laptop abandoned in his lap seeming to reverberate through their skin. Himchan stroked Junhong’s arm softly before standing and releasing a pent up sigh at another failed attempt to bring his child out of the darkness he huddled in. “I’m going to go try and get some more bags for you. The feeder houses are tiring of me taking all of their blood, I won’t be able to keep this up for too much longer. When you feel up to it, come find me and we can go on a hunt together. We’ll get you fed however it makes you feel most comfortable. Small steps until we can get you feeling better about feeding.” 

The door clicked closed, and Junhong placed the blood bag on his bedside table, willing it to disappear or turn into water, turn into food, willing for his stomach to accept human food again that wouldn’t satisfy him anymore no matter how much he ate. He heard the front door slam and he heard Daehyun and Himchan talking, then arguing, over something that he couldn’t make out. Out of habit he opened his laptop, just to check, and felt his heart skip as Daseot was online and had sent him a message. 

Daseot: ‘I’m so glad you’re here, today’s been awful.’ 

For yet another day, he could pretend to be human. He could pretend to not need blood, to not crave it when he went without for too long. For another day he could find peace in being there for a human that would be disgusted if it only knew what he really was. 

For just a few more days maybe, and then he might give a hunt a try like Himchan had asked him to. 

 

\-------------------------------------------

Yongguk hadn’t been this pissed off in a while. The anger coated his bones like blood, dripped from them, and it felt familiar in a way that was both somewhat nostalgic and somewhat uncomfortable. Youngjae wasn’t stupid. Well, he was, but he wasn’t if he’d just use the brain whatever deity out there had given him. He was a genius in logical sense, learning quickly, mastering skills in leaps, and yet he let his emotions drag him around like a child with a leashed toy. Yongguk wouldn’t be so mad if he was even slightly capable of protecting himself upon leaving, and he’d be far more worried if he couldn’t feel Youngjae’s heart beating through their shared tattoo. But he was mad and he wasn’t worried, and that left Youngjae in a very bad place when he finally got his ass back inside from wherever the hell he decided to stroll to. 

He knew why Youngjae had left. He himself struggled with it, so did Jongup, nearly everyone did that had been in position of hunter or prey at some period of their life. Fight or flight was an unnatural occurrence for most of society that had nothing to fight at or run from. Vampires were restricted by the night, so those who lived in the day had little to fear other than the falling sun. Hunters were different, as well as people who had something to fear other than vampires. It was common for victims of trauma, or hunters who feared the preemptive silence of a vampire, to lash out or recede into themselves when even a hint of familiarity appeared. It was common for Youngjae to follow his feet without considering that there was danger where they led, ironically because his mind swore there was danger in the place that he previously was. 

Yongguk was the same, often finding himself with his fist dripping blood and the wall pierced with shallow holes. Jongup was the same, often being found curled up in the corner of a room trembling as reality drifted too close to memories to separate the two. Youngjae was the same, running before he used his brain anytime he was alone in the silence. Perhaps they should’ve considered that, but such specific triggers were hard to work around. Perhaps Yongguk shouldn’t be so angry. 

But Youngjae could’ve died with this impulsive move for fuck’s sake, and Yongguk was fuming. The medical staff attempted to refuse him the ability to leave the medical ward, but he could be scary enough when he wanted to be. Stomach still wrapped up, IV that they demanded he have hanging on a wheeled pole next to him, Yongguk waited in one of the lobby chairs, the receptionist making a blatant effort of ignoring him and the conflict that was going to arise the second those front doors swung open. Jongup was supposed to meet him once he was done reporting to the director about the impromptu hunt that they’d probably get in trouble for, but he hadn’t yet appeared. No doubt the younger hunter was avoiding the conflict as well. 

The doors were pushed open, and Youngjae didn’t seem surprised to see Yongguk sitting there waiting for him. Rather than that, he didn’t seem to notice Yongguk at all, eyes tired and confused all at once, and Yongguk’s anger dissolved just enough to filter with concern. “Something happened,” he said rather than asked, and Youngjae shook his head slowly, Yongguk able to see frustration flooding into his expression as he muttered, “I’ll tell you later.”

“You’ll tell me now,” Yongguk grit out, crossing his arms over his chest, and Youngjae rather resembled a deer in headlights with how rigid his body was, as if he wasn’t capable of relaxing at the moment. Yongguk took one look at his neck and growled out, “I’m three seconds from smacking some sense into you if you don’t tell me what the fuck happened when your dumb ass decided to go out injured in the middle of the goddamn night.” There they were, as expected, almost as usual as of late, two bloody dots like snakebites on the side of his bruised neck. He hadn’t even bothered to hide it, and it only proved to Yongguk what he’d figured earlier, that Youngjae had been too lost in a fight or flight sense to consider anything rationally, leading him to leave the VED, leading him to get bitten. Yongguk sighed, trying to rationalize the situation himself through the anger. Youngjae was probably more stressed than even he was, he hated getting bitten, he wouldn’t have put himself in such a dangerous situation if he had the mind not to. Sometimes stress made people delirious, sometimes panic attacks of the sort that Youngjae had were quiet and subtle. 

“You’re lucky you’re not dead,” Yongguk said flatly, and Youngjae’s nostrils flared, his eyes narrowed and he slammed the fist of his good hand into the wall beside him. The receptionist hopped in her seat, eyes wide at the sight before she hurried off, probably to get the medical unit to take back their patients. “I’m not lucky at all,” Youngjae gasped out, and Yongguk realized then that somehow Youngjae almost seemed angrier than he was, though he wouldn’t let that deter him. “What? You don’t appreciate the fact that you’re not shredded up like fucking meat right now? Whatever bit you spared you, you fucking idiot, in any other situation you’d be drained and cold on the ground somewhere.” 

“A vampire fucking… That vampire fucking…” He shook his head before marching to sit next to Yongguk. “Punch me if you want, maybe I deserve it,” Youngjae spit out, and Yongguk was actively considering whether he would or not when Youngjae’s voice softened just enough to show the contempt and bitterness underlying. “How fucking pitiful do you have to be for a monster to save you…?” Yongguk bit his lip, he didn’t understand what Youngjae was getting at. The younger practically curled into himself, cradelling his wrapped arm in his hand and staring down at his boots. “I’m so fucking stupid, Yongguk, I didn’t… I’ve gone out so many times, and since I can just burn the shit out of anything I assumed…”

“That’s your issue, you assumed. Assuming gets you killed, Youngjae, you should know that better than anyone. You’re not stupid, just use your head every once in a while.” Yongguk sighed, shaking his head slowly, and Youngjae mumbled in response, “I wasn’t thinking. I’ve gone out a million times without an issue, I just wanted to think, but…” He trailed off before forcing himself back into focus, turning towards Yongguk with dark, furious eyes. “There’s a vampire following me. It… The thing that bit me, it fought with it.” 

Yongguk’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean it fought with it? Vampires don’t fight other vampires, they’ve only worked together from what I’ve seen.” Youngjae curled his arms tighter around his body, almost laughing with bitterness as he replied, “This vampire… I’ve seen it before. Before I met you and Jongup I ran into it at a hotel when I was guarding someone. It didn’t bite me, it didn’t do anything. The night you two found me, something had killed the men chasing me as well as the vampire that smelled the blood and came. Tonight… tonight the thing literally tore the thing off of me and told it to fuck off.” 

Eyebrows knitting together, Yongguk could barely bring himself to comprehend such a story. “This same vampire has been following me this whole time. It told me that I was being targeted, when I said it was some fucking vampire it told me it had a name, and…” He was rambling, and Yongguk held a hand up to stop him before cradling his head into his own hands, feeling a headache whispering its arrival. “I don’t care if it has a name and you shouldn’t either. For all you know it’s just toying with you. Don’t trust monsters, Youngjae. Don’t even begin to-”

“I wasn’t thinking about trusting it! Just… I’m just… I don’t understand, Yongguk,” Youngjae gasped out in frustration. “I should’ve just killed the thing, I should’ve, but I was so surprised. Why the hell is it following me? Why was it willing to get itself into trouble just to protect me? Its a vampire, Yongguk, it’s-”

“It’s evil.” Yongguk’s voice was low and deep and interrupted Youngjae’s high tone in an instant. “It’s wicked, it’s akin to a demon. How can you ascertain that its motives aren’t anything but dangerous? You can’t. The same creature that tore up Jongup’s throat and killed the only person I had loved, the same creature that made you fail at your job and sent those men after you, that’s what this thing is. I don’t care what it said to you, Youngjae, and you shouldn’t either. You’re lucky that it saved you, and you should leave it at that. No ‘why’s, no ‘but’s, no ‘what if’s. It’s a monster and you’re lucky. That’s it.” 

There was silence after that, Yongguk coughing loosely, and Youngjae bowed his head low the entire time. “I’m sorry,” he finally whispered. “It was stupid, I’m so fucking stupid.” Yongguk shook his head slowly, his voice raw, his head beginning to throb now. What was he going to do with this kid? “Move past it. Don’t go out there on your own again, though I doubt I have to tell you that.” Youngjae shook his head slowly, and Yongguk rustled his hair with a sigh. “I still want to smack you.” The younger glanced up, and for the first time that night he showed just the faintest sign of a smile. “Maybe I deserve that.” 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Jongup didn’t plan to go to the lobby like Yongguk had told him to. Yongguk’s face was red when he’d asked him to come, and there was no doubt he’d be yelling with an echo at Youngjae the second he returned. Jongup didn’t want to see them fight, he didn’t want to see Yongguk yelling, he didn’t want to see Youngjae either since he too was somewhat angry at the magica. Rather than going to the lobby, he finished his report, got his proper scolding from the director for going into the orphanage to begin with, and made his way straight to one of the empty study rooms, sighing as he found place at one of the computers stationed on the large table. They were made for research, quick searches, things like that, but he really didn’t care. Typing in the website that he frequented more often than he slept, Jongup almost wondered if he was addicted to speaking to Mul given the rush of relief he felt flow into his chest once he saw that the other was online. 

Daseot: ‘I’m so glad you’re here, today’s been awful.’ 

There was almost immediately three dots on their message box, Mul typed quickly so the response came only seconds later. 

Mul: ‘What happened? It’s been rough here too, my mom is snapping at my brother again right now.’ 

What a coincidence, Jongup thought. It was probably the same for him, Yongguk towards Youngjae. 

Daseot: ‘My brothers got hurt at work today.’  
Mul: ‘Both of them? That’s a strange coincidence. It’s just a stocking job right?’

 

Jongup cringed. It was difficult trying to make a hunter lifestyle seem like a normal human’s life. In what situation would both of his brothers be injured so badly at once? It was hard to make sense of without vampires being an answer. 

Daseot: ‘A pallet fell off one of the higher racks, like thirty feet up. They’re both okay, but Youngjae’s wrist is fractured and I don’t think Yongguk will be able to work anytime soon.’  
Mul: ‘That’s horrible. I’m sorry, that really is a bad day.’

Talking to Mul was like resting in a hot bath with how quickly it relaxed him. The other was always so calm and understanding, their lives were rather similar despite Mul being normal and Jongup having to fake it. Youngjae and Yongguk were family, they were who Jongup could rely on most, but not many people chose to go to their families with their problems rather than to a good friend. Mul was that good friend, and Jongup wondered how long he could uphold this facade of being just a student somewhere. He wondered if Mul would be upset to find out that he was lying the whole time, that he’s really a vampire hunter who can’t even speak. It wasn’t worth the risk of losing him as a friend, Jongup figured. He’d continue to fake it until the truth spilled out, he supposed. 

Daseot: ‘It’s fine, I’m just glad they’re okay. But they won’t be bringing in any money while they’re recovering, so hopefully things work out.’ 

It was a lie, the VED paid their expenses even when they didn’t have hunts given that they did so much on a regular basis, but Jongup had to make it sound at least somewhat reasonable. 

Mul: ‘Yeah, hopefully.’  
Mul: ‘Shit, my mom’s calling me. I have to go, but will you be here tonight?’ 

The ‘online’ dot beside Mul’s name disappeared before Jongup could answer, and he deleted his response. He would probably spend the night keeping watch over Yongguk to make sure he didn’t have any complications while he slept, which meant that he wouldn’t be online. He felt a coldness spread throughout his chest where the relief was before, and he hated feeling alone like this, sitting in a dark room, staring at a screen that no one on the other side occupied. He bit his lip tightly and shut off the computer, making his way out of the room and towards the medical unit. Youngjae was surely back by now, both he and Yongguk’s heartbeats felt stable when Jongup checked the tattoos which meant they probably weren’t arguing or doing anything that would elevate the pulses. The walk back felt much longer than it probably should have but he spent most of it lost in thought, mind lingering over Yongguk and Youngjae, how terrified he’d been yesterday night upon finding them both unconscious and bleeding. He couldn’t bear to lose either of them, which was why he was mad at Youngjae, who put himself at such a risk the night before. He couldn’t blame him though, he couldn’t confront him. He had done it a few times as well, left in the middle of the night, gone out into the darkness and danger if only for a bit of fresh air. It was so suffocating to be afraid of the outside world, it was so suffocating to always be prepared for a fight. He couldn’t blame Youngjae for going outside when his thoughts began to swarm, he himself did it too, though not as often. Chances were nothing had happened while he was out, chances were he was completely fine and Yongguk would scold him and everything would be okay. 

But chances were also that Jongup could’ve lost his family last night when they fought three vampires in the orphanage. Chances were also that Yongguk could’ve died in surgery, or Youngjae could’ve suffocated, Yongguk could’ve suffered a worse wound, Youngjae could’ve been killed tonight when he went out. Chances were always there as a hunter to lose someone he loved, and images of his real family, his mother, his father, his brother, flashed into his mind like a bullet. He pulled out his phone, whipping up the internet, typing in a familiar website and stuttering out words to Mul who was still offline. 

Daseot: “I’ll be on tonight. Tonight is overwhelming.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the confusion with the Mul/Daseot conversation. On AFF I made the conversation in italics to make it easier to differentiate from the rest of the story, but I'm not sure how to do that here on Archive. Hopefully it isn't too confusing.


	14. Safe

Daehyun closed the front door quietly this time, adamant on not announcing his return after the events that took place hours ago. Chanyeol would’ve told Jaehwan immediately of what had happened, and Jaehwan would no doubt have messaged Himchan right away. The world of trouble he was unavoidably about to be in was almost terrifying, and he somewhat wondered if protecting Youngjae had been a good idea from the start.

 

Why wasn’t Himchan right? If he was a feeder Daehyun could see him everyday, could do so without having to avoid the other two hunters, without going against Himchan’s will. And yet it felt so wrong to consider locking up such a pretty, powerful human and diminishing him to just another meal. A magica, a natural born magica. Maybe that was why Daehyun was so interested in him. He’d known one other natural magica in his life and had lost her in such a gruesome way. He couldn’t bear to see Youngjae suffer similarly, even if last night was only his second time interacting with him.

 

He could only hope that Himchan had gone to bed early, early enough to have not seen Jaehwan’s message. He admitted to himself despite everything that he was afraid of Jaehwan’s fury, that he was afraid of the consequences he’d face in fault of his impulsive decision. Youngjae was safe, but Daehyun now was not. Himchan wouldn’t let Jaehwan do anything permanent, but a punishment was in order. He wasn’t prepared for Himchan’s fury either, the anger that his master surely would feel upon realizing that Daehyun’s chosen human was the magica that Jaehwan was so interested in grabbing.

 

The living room light flicked on right as Daehyun was two steps from his bedroom door, and he froze, swallowing tightly as he could feel Himchan’s eyes boring into the back of his neck, as he could sense his anger without having to even look at him. “Jung Daehyun,” his master growled out. “Come here.” Slowly, almost against his own will, Daehyun turned around, taking slow, cautious steps towards the hallway where Himchan stood with a glare of shadows cast over his eyes. He followed the elder into his office like a child waiting to be scolded, and while Himchan wouldn’t hurt him physically, he could very much be cold-hearted when he chose to be.

The door slammed behind him, and Daehyun was already prepared for the slap to echo across his face before it happened, the knowledge that it was coming having no effect in how his cheek stung afterwards. “Sit down,” Himchan hissed, and Daehyun did so before he could even comprehend it, Himchan’s order overwhelming his nervous system. His master whipped around the desk and sat down as well, rubbing his eyes with his palms and muttering, “You’re a fucking child, Daehyun, an ignorant, miserable child.” Daehyun swallowed and his throat was dry, voice rough as he tried to respond, “I didn’t plan on interacting with him, that’s why I didn’t tell-”

“Why you didn’t tell me. That’s bullshit, you didn’t tell me because you’re selfish and possessive and wanted that human all to yourself.” Himchan snarled the word ‘human’ like it was something disgusting, and Daehyun’s voice cracked as it raised. “Jaehwan will ruin him, I couldn’t let Chanyeol take him,” he gasped out, interrupting Himchan as the elder opened his mouth to retort. “Himchan you know why I can’t let Jaehwan near him, you fucking know-”

“I know, and that’s why I’m saying you’re such a miserable child, Jung Daehyun.” The younger froze in his seat, feeling his body trembling, though with anger or fear he couldn’t tell. “Your mother and this magica are not the same. You can’t redeem what you lost by protecting it. This thing is killing vampires left and right, you’ll be next if you get too close.”

“He’s not like that!” Daehyun cried out, slamming his hands down on the desk. “I saw him today when I told Chanyeol to fuck off, he didn’t try anything, he knows me, he knows-”

“It was stunned, that’s why it didn’t attack you. From what Jaehwan told me it was injured, which was precisely why he needed to grab it last night. You’re an idiot, Daehyun. You know Jaehwan’s orders far transcend my own, even farther over your stupid decisions. You think Jaehwan is just going to back off because you care about the magica? You know damned well from experience that that’s not how he works.” Daehyun shuddered, willing tears of anger and desperation away despite how they glossed in his eyes. “Why am I the idiot…? Why can’t you two see that humans aren’t just food, or animals, or objects? They speak, they think, they’re more than the cattle you make them out to be. Can’t you see it? They kill us because they’re terrified! We kill them far more often, he’s no different! He was scared last night, he had no intention of hurting me because I had no intention of hurting him-”

“Stupid and blind, that’s what you are.” Himchan’s voice was low and cold. “What, should we just starve because you’re uncomfortable with our lifestyle? It doesn’t matter what you want, Daehyun, Jaehwan gets his way whether it’s handed to him or he has to tear it apart. You think I’m being heartless? I’m protecting you right now. Jaehwan is furious at you and that’s not a position you want to be in. Go find another human to care about if you want to coddle something, but this one is Jaehwan’s and you have no say over that. I don’t know how I failed to raise you into having this idiotic ideals, but they end now.” Himchan stood from his chair, the force of the motion sending the thing flying back into the wall behind him. “You’re not leaving this house without me, you’ll feed when I do, and if I have to cuff you to your bed then that’s how it is.” Daehyun felt his stomach drop, his voice trembling as he whispered, “You can’t… Himchan, you’re not serious-”

“I am serious. There are consequences for your actions, and I won’t stand and watch what Jaehwan does to you if you try to protect that magica again.” Daehyun shook his head quickly, rapidly, like a child who couldn’t comprehend what was just said. “I just want to see him, Himchan, I just-”

 

“And you will see it again once Jaehwan decides that you deserve to. Until then, you’re not leaving this house.” Himchan slammed the office door behind him, and Daehyun sat with chills running down his spine, shivering with fury. Flashbacks to fire and a woman’s scream echoed through his mind, and he screamed as his fist slammed into the desk, the frustration overbearing, the helplessness of the situation infuriating. He hated Jaehwan, he was fuming at Himchan. He hit the desk again and again until the side of his hand pulsed with pain, until the sting echoed through his body and the exhaustion was too heavy to do so any longer.

 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“Your children are disgustingly disobedient.” Jaehwan ran a hand through his hair, a large mug filled to the brim with alcohol-laced crimson held tightly in the other. Himchan sat down beside the elder at the bar that they always met at, ordering himself something this time because he too needed some form of release. “Especially your eldest. He’s been a nuisance and an inconvenience since before he was even turned, and yet you still decided to-”

“That’s in the past, Jaehwan,” Himchan sighed. “Daehyun is… stupid. Ignorant. I made sure that he won’t interfere again.” Jaehwan huffed, sipping at his mug and grimacing as the taste wasn’t quite to his liking today. “He’d better not, for his own sake. He’s lucky that I sent Chanyeol. Sehun would’ve tore him apart.” Himchan nodded, slow and careful. Jaehwan’s decisions were out of his hands, which was terrifying in and of itself, because he cared about Daehyun’s safety. If his child was stupid enough to get Jaehwan angry enough to hurt him, Himchan wouldn’t be able to defend him.

“The good news is that I got to see this magica’s power in advance. Chanyeol returned with a nasty burn on his face, it only just healed up an hour ago. It’s unfortunate that Daehyun ruined last night’s accomplishment, but it’s not all for loss.” Himchan wasn’t so sure, bowing his head and muttering, “The magica is going to be much more careful from now on, there probably won’t be another chance to capture it with its teammates on such high guard.” Jaehwan hummed, downing a few swallows before slamming his mug back onto the counter. “It’s teammates are rather annoying, yes. I suggest we kill them. They’ve been running around causing trouble either way, might as well remove the pests and make our job easier with one stone.” Himchan nodded. It was the most reasonable solution.

“I’m taking Junhong out on a hunt soon, he should be ready to try feeding himself. I’ll kill the two and let him drink from them, it’ll be a good step towards getting out on his own anyway.” Jaehwan nodded, sighing softly. “Junhong, that kid is a mess as well. Refusing to drink even after months, how are you so unlucky that both of your children are defective like that? You’re too kind on them, Himchan.” Himchan nodded slowly. Perhaps he was, but that wouldn’t change. He loved Daehyun, he loved Junhong, he wouldn’t stop caring just to teach them how to be heartless, as convenient as it would be for them to lose their dangerous interest in humans for good. But that’s a good plan. Let me know how it goes.”

Himchan’s drink was placed in front of him, a delicate red wine mixed with the blood that would give it actual substance. He took a gentle sip and sighed. “I need one of your other children to babysit Daehyun while I’m out. I wouldn’t be surprised if he tried to follow me out.” Jaehwan nodded, finishing off his drink and wiping the red stain from his lips. “Baekhyun, perhaps. Strong enough to restrain him if necessary, kind enough to not beat him for his disobedience. You’re lucky that I’m so kind to him, Himchan. If he were my child he would be in a world of pain for this.”

“I know, Jaehwan. He knows as well. Have Baekhyun stop by in three nights. I’ll take Junhong and we’ll take out those hunters quickly.”

“And if Junhong refuses to go with you?” Jaehwan asked with a sigh, already predicting the actions of Himchan’s disobedient, reckless children. Himchan sipped at his glass slowly, trying to enjoy the flavor but too focused on the stress of the conversation. “Then I’ll go alone. Even taking out one of them will be enough to collapse the team, and the magica will surely want revenge for it. When it comes out of hiding, we can grab it then.” Jaehwan nodded before calling to the bartender, “I need one more!”

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Youngjae and Yongguk were discharged that morning, and the sunlight filtering through the windows of their small house was a relief after the dangers of the dark that had prevailed over the past few nights. The doctor told them to take it easy for at the bare minimum four days, promising that Yongguk’s stomach was in much better shape than it looked after they stitched him up and yet warning that Youngjae would be rather useless in a fight with a broken wrist. Yongguk had shot the younger hunter a glare at this, and Youngjae had whispered a short apology for the previous night’s events.

 

The smell of meat radiated from the kitchen, and Jongup curled up on the couch, feeling his stomach tremble with excitement. The VED wasn’t well funded enough to have decent cafeteria food, and it would be nice for all of them to get something tasty and filling in their stomachs again. More than that, he was ready to have a normal moment with his family again, without killing vampires or fearing for their lives, just a regular meal. Youngjae and Yongguk were talking in the kitchen, Jongup was attempting to focus on a show he was binging just a few weeks ago but found himself lost to the plot in the episodes he’d missed. It was comforting to feel normal like this, and yet he felt out of place. It was a little too familiar, laying on a couch in a dark room, watching tv while the light and scent filtered in from the kitchen. His mother’s face appeared in his mind and he felt himself tremble a little, quickly getting up and making his way to sit beside Youngjae at the kitchen table just as Yongguk dumped some pasta onto three plates and topped it off with slices of beef. Youngjae was resting his head on the table waiting, scrolling through some social media that Jongup didn’t recognize. Jongup wondered for a moment if Youngjae also had online friends like he did, but the thought diminished quickly. Youngjae wasn’t really the social type, he didn’t trust strangers.

 

“Okay kids, eat up,” Yongguk said as he dropped each plate in front of them and pulled out a chair for himself. Jongup didn’t hesitate to begin wolfing down the noodles and Youngjae was normally no different, except…

 

Jongup snorted in a laugh, and Youngjae shot him a glare, Yongguk’s quirky smile unnoticed as he tried to pretend that nothing was wrong. Youngjae was trying to use his wrapped, fractured hand to eat, and the chopsticks slipped immediately from his fingers, clattering onto the table. “Do you need help?” Yongguk finally asked after Youngjae found himself trying to use his other hand, his non-dominant hand, and had no luck. “No,” the magica mumbled, but Jongup was already reaching to Youngjae’s plate and grabbing three noodles between his chopsticks, reaching them up and poking Youngjae’s lips with them, holding his mouth open with a silent ‘aah’. Youngjae huffed but slowly opened his mouth, letting Jongup feed him. Yongguk chuckled, muffled it, then finally broke out into a full laugh. “You’re like a baby bird, Youngjae,” he snickered and Jongup laughed silently, dropping one of the noodles from Youngjae’s plate onto the floor with the shake of his laugh, Youngjae unable to hide his own smile as Jongup scrambled to pick the dropped food up and fling it into the sink from a distance.

It was nice, the meal they shared, laughing about stupid things, not thinking about their job. Jongup had missed it, washing dishes with Youngjae drying them, watching how Yongguk lightened up considerably after two beers to where everything made him laugh with his gummy smile on full display. It felt like home, a home that was familiar and yet unique in comparison to his last one. It felt safe.


	15. Family Above All Else

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a longer chapter and has a lot of exciting stuff going on, so let me know if its too confusing. Thank you so much as well for reading and leaving comments <3 They keep me going, knowing that this story is well liked. I’ll try to keep up to your expectations as well, so I hope this chapter is okay.

“Are you ready?”

No, he wasn’t, but that wasn’t really an option after so many months of swearing he wasn’t ready. Himchan was right, he had to get out there at some point. Junhong moved slow and deliberately as he slipped on a black jacket and some dark jeans, zipping up the front with fingers that felt strangely heavy. He was going to hunt tonight. He was going to drink blood. Human blood. From a human body. 

The thought sent a buzz through the tension in his body like stomping with a numb leg, and he stared at his tired eyes in the mirror for just a minute longer before sighing and exiting the bathroom. Daehyun was asleep on the couch, Himchan saw no qualms with putting a sleep aid into the blood he gave him and Junhong was too focused on other things to worry about morality or how Daehyun would be delirious when they returned. Sitting beside Daehyun, stroking his blonde hair gingerly, was Baekhyun, one of Himchan’s brothers. Junhong didn’t feel comfortable in his presence, but at the very least he still felt safe. That was more than he could say about any of Himchan’s other siblings, Jaehwan’s other children. Baekhyun was the most normal of them all, which surely was why Himchan had requested him to watch Daehyun while they were out. 

Himchan nodded with a soft smile to Junhong once he stepped far enough into the living room for the crystal lights on the ceiling to wipe away his shadow. He then gazed down to the two on the couch, sighing softly. “He shouldn’t wake up for a few hours, just… I don’t know. Worst case, I have a pair of handcuffs on my desk. Don’t hurt him, obviously, but don’t let him leave. I’m going to be looking for the magica tonight, I can’t have him looking as well.” Baekhyun nodded with a hum, his lulling voice seeming to echo as he responded, “I’ll watch him. It’s the least I can do for my big brother, isn’t it?” Himchan shifted uncomfortably and Baekhyun grinned. “Besides, it’s convenient for Jaehwan and therefore for myself if Daehyunnie doesn’t meddle with things bigger than him. Suho is looking forward to a magica in his collection, and Jaehwan is excited for the business boost. I’m sure you’re also interested in Jaehwan’s future revenue, right?” 

“Money is as much a concern in death as it is in life,” Himchan sighed before shaking his head. “But I’m loyal above all else. Jaehwan gave me all that I have, this house, the connections I need, everything. The least I can do is what he wishes of me.” Baekhyun nodded in agreement before turning his head, and Junhong swallowed as he didn’t expect the elder vampire to suddenly stare directly at him. Baekhyun smiled bluntly, shooting the younger a quick wink. “I’m glad our baby Junhonggie is finally willing to get out there.” Junhong flushed and the elder laughed boisterously. “Soon enough it’ll be nothing at all to go take a drink from the source, you’ll be fine.” 

The front door’s slam behind him echoed with finality. Himchan was going to go track down those hunters, and Junhong was going to drink from them. Just hunters, he reminded himself over and over, every time worry flooded his mind and guilt pulsed through his conscience. Hunters that would try to kill him, it would just be hunters that he’d be drinking dry, hunters that Himchan was going to kill anyway. It would be okay. 

Somehow, as they flashed through the streets, Junhong following Himchan’s back, he wasn’t so sure. 

 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The keys drooped underneath the weight of his fingers, the pound of them pressing down echoing louder through the room than the actual sound that they made. It had been a while since Jongup had bothered to touch this dusty old thing, the keyboard he’d dragged out from under Youngjae’s bed. Yongguk had bought it for him, something that a doctor probably told him would help him express himself after suddenly and permanently losing his voice. Jongup didn’t bother with sheet music, figuring he should put effort into things that would matter more in the long run, like cleaning a gun or dodging a punch. But it was something he could trifle with for now. 

They were going to hunt tonight. It wasn’t necessarily something he enjoyed thinking about, not after how the last hunt finished with both Yongguk and Youngjae half dead on the concrete. There was fog tonight, the moon was masked with a veil of thick clouds, the air smelled like rain. It wasn’t a good night to hunt. 

But they were going to. The director had told them someone else could go, but who else? There were more upcoming hunters that were able to survive and emerge victorious over vampires, yes, but either they were missing something that the three Matoki had or the Matoki were just far more lucky than anyone else who tried to take up a weapon against the beasts. Their mission tonight came with a report that Donghae, the man who had taught Jongup how to punch, Yongguk how to shoot, and Youngjae how to focus his flames into one area of his body, was torn to pieces only twenty or so hours ago. Shredded apart like people very much should not be. The rumors said that it looked like a wild animal had come through, the rumors swore that Donghae had been drained dry first by the way his detached arm was grey, and the rumors sobbed, asking what hunter could possibly fight a vampire that ruined their teacher in such a way. 

Jongup blotted out the rumors, and the keys were quaking underneath his fingers when a voice penetrated the violent, meaningless music.

“It sounds good, though that’s probably not what you were intending.” Jongup’s hands paused and his heart dropped, as if the music he was making and the depth he was lost into had been sucked into a void, letting him fall from the clouds back to reality. Youngjae was leaning against the doorframe, frowning a little. “I knew you’d stop if I said something, so I didn’t,” the elder said casually, and Jongup was having trouble readjusting to the simplicity of his words from the complexity of his previous thoughts. Youngjae walked further into the room, sat down next to Jongup on the floor and glanced down at the piano keys as if they were as inanimate as a table or dresser, incapable of anything worth paying attention to. 

“It’s kind of hot for a jacket, don’t you think?” He appreciated Youngjae trying to make conversation, but he wasn’t feeling it. His stomach felt knotted, his chest felt tight. Youngjae didn’t know about their mentor being shredded to pieces, Youngjae didn’t know about the hunt tonight because Yongguk demanded that he stay behind. His wrist was just fractured, it would heal quickly, but Jongup agreed that he shouldn’t go. You had to be at your hundred percent in a fight with a vampire. Anything less and the chances of dying would shoot up fast. It would happen so fast. Jongup pictured himself being torn up like Donghae supposedly was and shivered, before pulling out his phone and replying quickly, ‘I think it’s just hot to you because you still have a fever.’ 

He appreciated Youngjae talking to him, even if it felt wrong, even if it felt out of sorts, because Youngjae was calm while his own heart was racing. The elder shrugged, putting the back of his hand to his forehead as if that would actually help him determine whether he was warm or not before dropping his hand back into his lap and sighing. “Maybe so. How are you feeling, Uppie?” 

He didn’t want that question to come up, he especially didn’t want to answer it now, so he shrugged and slipped the volume knob up just a little higher. Youngjae fell silent as he began to play again. This sound was entirely different from before. This sound was not how he felt, this sound was not trembling, this sound was not afraid, this sound was not the pounding of his heart, but a mimic of the soft lullaby his mother would sometimes sing to him as a child. Familiarity was pain in this way, but on a murky, grief-filled night like this, who wouldn’t want to wallow a little? 

He played as Youngjae laid down, he played as the other’s eyes fluttered closed. The magica mumbled under his breath, “I hope things stay calm for a while.” Alongside grief, worry, and mellow sadness, Jongup could say he also felt guilt when Youngjae drifted to sleep and he had to turn off the keyboard, carry the sleeping boy to his bed, and grab his weapons for the hunt.

An hour later, the black of night was cool around his skin, familiar in a way that was all too uncomfortable, raising bumps over his arms. Yongguk was to his left, steps silent and eyes focused. They’d come to a stop at a large blood spot staining the asphalt right in the middle of a street that got busy during the day but fell silent in the night. Donghae died here just last night. They would die here too if they weren’t careful. The vampires surely knew that they were coming, why else would they target such an important human in the middle of such a well populated street? His body was found the moment the sun came up, and surely that was their goal. Jongup glanced to Yongguk and swallowed as his leader seemed more concerned today, more on edge. They were in danger even just being here, but whatever did this deserved to pay. 

“To your left,” Yongguk whispered, and Jongup kept watch on the alleyway that jutted between a clothes market and a bakery, fingers stroking the hilt of his left dagger slowly, soothingly, as if easing the weapon’s nerves alongside his own. The magic from one of his smaller tattoos pulsed gently as it seeped into the dagger through his touch, making it just the slightest bit sharper and more durable. A little bit went a long way after all, especially when his entire life was built around this life-or-death moment, this anticipation for a fight that could save lives or swipe his own life away in an instant.

“Duck!” He did immediately upon Yongguk’s call, and not a second too soon as a shadow flew over him in something akin to a pounce, blurred with speed and only resembling a man once it had landed. Tall and thin, blonde hair yellow under the streetlights, eyes pink as roses. It looked young, it seemed inexperienced from how it had attacked them. This would be easy, or at least that’s what he would’ve thought. But whatever was attacking them right now had killed Donghae, their mentor, the one that trained them to be so adept. They couldn’t take it lightly. 

Jongup’s dagger slipped from its holster, the right one immediately after, and he slowly braced himself for the creature to move again, watching every flicker of its pink eyes as they jumped from Yongguk to Jongup, as if not knowing who to attack next or how. Yongguk was quick to answer, whipping his gun out in a sudden motion and firing. Creatures of such speed could easily dodge a bullet, though there was a chance that this one was too inexperienced to do so. That chance fell through, the blonde vampire disappearing in a blur again and Jongup whipped around with a full slash of his right blade as he felt the air shift minisculely behind him. The vampire jumped back, the blade swiping across its cotton shirt but only scraping its chest, before it brought its leg back. Jongup tried to jump back but there was no way a human could outspeed a vampire, and the kick to his gut had him gagging and airborne, the loud crack of his back hitting the bakery’s brick wall and the pain echoing thereafter leaving him struggling to catch his breath. Yongguk had taken the moment to rush the vampire, who had been so distracted watching how Jongup flew back that it didn’t notice the other hunter coming up behind it and slashing into its back. The vampire cried out almost pitifully, whipping around to grab at Yongguk but the hunter already being far from his reach, having jumped back seconds ago. 

This vampire was strangely slow, strangely dull, in comparison to what they’d expected, and Jongup couldn’t make sense of it as he rose from the concrete with a groan and cracked his back quickly, grabbing his daggers off the ground while the vampire curled into itself with pain, gasping out its first words since the fight began. 

“Himchannie.” 

And in an instant, another shadow flicked into the street, forming into a shorter but stouter man, one with muscle and cold eyes laced with malice and experience. This one, Jongup could tell immediately, was the one they should fear, the one that killed Donghae and left him for dead as a symbol. “You did well for your first hunt, Junhong,” the elder vampire commended, as if there weren’t two hunters watching them, planning their next attack. Yongguk was first on the draw, holding up his gun to the elder vampire’s back and pulling the trigger. The bang echoed through the street, but the target was already gone, and Yongguk gasped as a fist connected with his chest so hard that he was sent flying a few feet backwards. His blade was out in an instant and he slashed forward as the creature rematerialized over him, pinning him down, and the elder vampire snarled as the silver blade cut into its chest before it was grabbing Yongguk’s hair and slamming his head down repeatedly on the asphalt. The younger vampire watched with almost fear of the elder, and Jongup took his moment to dash forward, slashing at the elder’s neck. A clean swipe there would kill, if he could just lop the thing’s head off before Yongguk passed out, though he was probably already concussed… 

The elder vampire dropped Yongguk’s head in favor of spinning around and slamming Jongup to the ground beside him, straddling the small hunter and pinning his arms down so that he couldn’t cut at him. Jongup writhed under its weight, Yongguk’s pants from beside him echoing in his ears as the other hunter tried to sit up and the world spun around him, as he collapsed back to the street. The vampire stared with wine red eyes deep into Jongup’s glare, slowly muttering with a low, clear voice, “Your blood smells awful.” The tattoo, Jongup’s favorite tattoo that kept most biters away from his neck. His blood smelled rotten thanks to the little bronze apple carved into his skin. Yongguk’s fingers shifted over his gun, maybe he could get a clear shot while this vampire was distracted analyzing Jongup..! But the gun clattered back to the ground and Yongguk growled in frustration. After having his head bashed so hard by such a strong creature, there was a chance that he could barely even see, let alone aim. Jongup was on his own. They’d already lost seconds into what seemed earlier like an easy fight, all due to the vampire leaning over him. 

The elder vampire’s blood dripped onto Jongup’s shirt from the cut that Yongguk had dug in just under a minute ago, but the creature seemed unaffected, as if being slashed with silver was something it had experienced enough times before to not even wince. The younger in comparison was curled into himself, blood staining the grey, torn fabric over his back, and the elder called over his shoulder, “This one will due. Junhong, come drink.”

What…? Jongup froze for an instant before his struggle came back tenfold, and the elder vampire growled and punched him hard enough in the face for his ears to echo the footsteps of the younger stumbling closer. “He smells… really gross, Himchan, maybe the other one…” The younger mumbled through his pain, and Jongup prayed that this would be enough. Surely this was a coven they were dealing with, an elder vampire teaching the younger how to hunt, which would explain why the blonde vampire was such a pushover. They should’ve killed it while they had the chance, shot it in the head when it collapsed from Jongup’s slash. The tall vampire fell to its knees beside Jongup, and he felt like a caged animal with these two monsters staring down at him, the dark-haired one restraining his arms and his cheekbone still pulsing from the force of the punch. “This one, Junhong. His blood will taste fine, the smell is from one of those tattoos. I’ll deal with the leader while you drink.” The leader… It knew Yongguk was in charge, and Jongup trembled at the coldness of its tone. It would deal with him… He couldn’t let these things hurt Yongguk…!

Jongup glanced over, hand twitching uselessly over his dagger as his arm was still pinned to the street. Yongguk’s eyes were squeezed shut, a groan escaping his lips and blood matting his hair. There was no way he could fight like this, but there was no way Jongup would let him be killed. Once the elder let go of him, right before the younger tried to bite him… that’s when he’d move. Surely the elder would kill Yongguk if Jongup stayed still. He’d attack the vampire called ‘Himchan,’ he’d stab him in the back of the neck and surely the younger would run, too ill experienced to deal with something of this sort without its leader. 

The elder vampire waited for the younger to draw closer before pulling its hands from Jongup’s arms, glancing towards Yongguk in preparation to get up… Now. Jongup drew back his legs and kicked as hard as he could towards the vampire’s stomach, jumping to his feet as the creature stumbled and rushing forward with a growl of malice to embed his dagger deep into the creature’s throat… 

But a soft hand was curling around his wrist, and he only then realized how fast this vampire truly was when he was fearfully staring into its furious eyes, its grip around his wrist tightening. “This is why I prefer feeders,” the vampire named Himchan hissed, before flipping Jongup and slamming him back onto the ground, the hunter crying out as his back that had already been hurt from the wall made harsh contact with the pavement. The vampire knelt back over him, the smoothness of its face too unnatural even in the miniscule light of the street lamps, the glow of its skin and the heat of its red eyes terrifyingly unreal, and Jongup had never been this close to a vampire in his life, the lack of breath on his skin almost more present than if the thing was breathing. 

“Stay down and you might live, depending on how hungry my child is,” the vampire growled. His child… How would a fucking vampire know what family is like well enough to call the blonde one its child? Jongup wouldn’t stay down, he was determined to save Yongguk, to do whatever he could until his last breath to fight this monster that had killed his mentor. He knelt his head up and dug his teeth straight into the vampire’s shoulder, biting down as hard as he could before he was being ripped off, his face slammed sideways to the ground right on the bruise that was starting to form, and the vampire was livid. “You fucking dumbass, do you want to be turned?!” Turned… into a vampire..? Was it through blood..? Jongup made sure that he couldn’t taste any iron on his tongue before headbutting into the vampire’s skull. The creature groaned, fed up with the hunter’s struggle. Its fist reared back and Jongup braced himself for the punch, unable to prepare for the next to come, then another, then another, fast and hard and painful over his face and chest until he could barely move his body, whimpering unintentionally as the soreness echoed with his rapid pulse, as his limbs were limp and refused to cooperate even when the vampire climbed off of him. “Junhong, drink,’ the vampire commanded before its steps were pacing away and Jongup could hear it growl to Yongguk, “Now tell me something before I kill you.”

\--------------------------------------------------------------

“Junhong, drink.” 

The human was battered, and Junhong wished he hadn’t had to see Himchan getting so violent. The elder preferred not to be aggressive, but these hunters were a different case. Himchan usually shot the humans first on his hunts, got them down and exhausted before drinking them of all the blood they hadn’t yet shed. Either that or he frequented feeder houses. This was more than Junhong had expected upon going on his first hunt, this violence, but it was too late to turn back. Himchan had walked towards the dark haired hunter, which left the silver haired one staring weakly at him, his breath fluttering. He wished he knew his name so that he could properly address him, but maybe it was better if he pretended that this was a wounded animal rather than a person. 

The hunter was small and yet his muscle’s curved with intricate tattoos drawn into them like canvas. His silver hair was dusted messily over his catlike eyes, and he was trying to glare but in came out as a wince. His cheek was beginning to darken with a bruise, though surely his entire upper half would swell after Himchan had pounded him down so hard. Just an animal, Junhong thought with a swallow. This is just prey. He is just prey. It was hard to comprehend, but he had to. 

Quickly he pinned down the human in the same way Himchan had before, not wanting to risk the hunter lashing out at him again. His back was fire with pain initially, but already it had mellowed down to just a consistent throb, his healing capabilities at least being well intact. The hunter shook his head back and forth as if his last ability to struggle was simply that, and Junhong wished he was as heartless towards humans as Himchan was, either that or as deceiving as Daehyun, anything so that the guilt wasn’t eating away at him like it was now. The hunter stared up into his eyes and its pride shown strongly in how he continued to glare at him even when Junhong in his situation would’ve been pleading. 

It didn’t matter. Just take the bite. Just prey. He was just prey. Junhong leaned down, unintentionally exhaling like he only did when he was nervous, and the human shivered at the unexpected and unusual breath on his neck. Vampire’s didn’t breathe, but such things came with muscle memory, especially with vampires as young as Junhong was. His fangs dipped barely into the skin in the curve of the hunter’s neck and collarbone, and the human, the prey, began to struggle harder. It smelled bad, this human’s blood smelled bad. Junhong almost was grateful for it in this moment. Maybe he wouldn’t drink so much if it was nasty. 

The pierce felt wrong, but he’d never done it before so maybe that was it, the way the skin dipped and then split under his teeth, the way the iron of blood flowed onto his lips. It was messy, like a first kiss maybe, where experience would clean it up. Junhong took his first swallow and his eyes fell closed, a soft moan of relief falling from his lips as, despite the somewhat rotten smell, the blood was the freshest he’d ever tasted. The iron-ish taste wasn’t too powerful and there was a sweetness to it, a warmth that couldn’t be replicated by microwaving a blood bag. He took another swallow and another, licking at the wound excitedly as it continued to bleed and bleed without end. The hunter whimpered and Junhong pressed his lips closer to its neck, feeling a trickle of blood and saliva trail down towards the human’s collarbone and quickly licking it back up to the wound, where he began to suck out the blood again. Finger’s tightening around the hunter’s tensed arms, chest pressed against broad chest. It was so good. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------

The room was dark, and Youngjae groaned with exhaustion as he checked his alarm clock, eyebrows furrowing together. It was two in the morning. It was rare for him to wake up this early without a nightmare or a fever being the reason. 

He swung his legs over the side of his bed, zipping up his jacket as the loss of his blanket left him colder than he preferred. He was more sensitive to the cold after all, and the winter didn’t fail to bring him discomfort at all times, especially at night when the wind blew harder and the occasional snow blew in. They needed to invest in a better heater, but that was a worry for another time.

Youngjae’s concern began when he glanced to Jongup’s bed and saw only a laptop sitting on an empty pillow. Where was Jongup? He stood, made his way out into the living room, but all of the lights were off. Jongup was rarely awake without using his laptop anyway, and the television was turned off. Something felt wrong. Youngjae hurried to Yongguk’s room, knocked on the door a few times. “Guk?” he called out. But only silence greeted him. 

Something was very wrong. 

On a whim, feeling his heart drop a few notches in his chest, he pressed two fingers to the tattoos on his wrists, and suddenly his gut throbbed with anxiety. Without even grabbing a weapon, shoving his shoes on, he was out the door in seconds. 

Yongguk’s heartbeat was rapid, Jongup’s was fragile. They were on a hunt without him and they were in danger. 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

“Now tell me something before I kill you.”

Yongguk’s eyes snapped open in a glare. His head pounded, his vision was blurry, and if he could gather his bearings enough to aim this vampire would have a bullet hole in its skull. He could see in his peripheral the younger vampire straddling Jongup and blinked rapidly, trying to blink away the dizziness. He had to kill the elder above all else. The younger would run once the elder was dead. Just a bullet in the right place…

Yongguk growled as the vampire’s shoe dug into the side of his face, pressing his throbbing head further into the concrete. “Cooperate and I might pull my child off of your hunter before he drinks him dry.” Vampires were liars, and Yongguk glared up at the creature standing so proudly above him, pressing him down with his foot like a rich man over a rat. “Now tell me where your magica is.” 

Magica. Youngjae. “Fuck off,” Yongguk spat, and the shoe grinded down into his face but he refused to answer. He didn’t know why they wanted Youngjae, but there were some easy guesses. Youngjae was their strength. If Youngjae had been here tonight, these vampires would not have taken them down like this. They weren’t a proper team without all three of them, they couldn’t fight well unless everyone was involved, and Youngjae was their firepower if Jongup was the assassin and Yongguk was the thinker. The vampires probably wanted Youngjae dead. It would dissolve their team and take away most of their power. Yongguk wouldn’t let them know a thing about him.

“We already know its name and that it’s associated with you, so don’t try to pretend like you don’t know it.” The vampire said sternly. “Maybe you should start by not calling him an ‘it’,” Yongguk hissed and immediately gagged as the foot on his face slammed down onto his stomach before moving to his chest, keeping him pinned to the ground. His vision was steadying out, if Jongup could hold on for just a few more moments he would be able to focus just enough to fire the gun again, to at least distract the younger vampire with the noise of the shot if not to kill the elder. “All humans are objects, food, fuel. Even a powerful one is no different. I won’t kill it if you tell me about it. I actually want it to stay alive, if you can believe that. I’ll have the vampire’s I’m in leagues with leave your hunter over there,” the elder vampire motioned with its head to Jongup, who was struggling weakly under the blonde vampire’s form. “It sounds like a good plan don’t you think? Your magica lives, your hunter lives. Otherwise I’ll let my child drink until that hunter over there is dry and dead. I’ll take the magica and he will suffer for the waste of my time, and you,” the vampire gazed down with cold eyes. “You will die much more painfully than if you cooperate here.” 

Yongguk narrowed his eyes. He wouldn’t, he couldn’t go through with a vampire’s request. He would save Jongup without having to give up, he would survive, and Youngjae would stay free and unharmed. He just needed to distract for a moment, needed to keep the vampire talking until he could prepare for an accurate shot. His gun was held properly in his hand now, he just had to wait for the world to steady, for his mind to come back into focus. 

“What do you want from him that you’d keep him alive?” Yongguk spat, struggling a little and finding it to be no good under such a powerful weight. “It isn’t your business,” the vampire responded, “But if only to fuel your anger, It’s going be a feeder. Magic blood is addictive you see, so we plan to keep customers coming. It’s convenient that it… or ‘he,’ is so pretty as well. It’ll make for a good feeder. It’s all for business.” Yongguk felt himself go cold. An image flashed in his eyes of Youngjae restrained in a dark room, alone and afraid, vampires, monsters, coming and going. He couldn’t let that happen. He would die before he’d let them touch his family. 

And then in his peripheral, Jongup’s hand fell limp from his dagger. And Yongguk was just about to jerk his hand up and shoot, no more time to waste, when a harsh light burst over the younger vampire and Jongup, and the vampire screamed as its body was engulfed in flames.

How did Youngjae get here..?! 

Youngjae was furious and silent as the heat and light from the flames cast orange over his face, as the fire fell from his palms that were pressed firmly against the vampire’s back. He shoved the creature off of Jongup before the flames could spread from the vampire to the hunter, and the vampire writhed and cried as even rolling on the ground wasn’t exhausting the flames that had taken to eating away its shirt, spreading and burning its skin from red to charred black. The elder vampire whipped to look at what had suddenly happened in such a short moment, and Yongguk took his chance, lifting the gun and firing, aiming towards the vampire’s face. He missed, but not entirely, and the creature cried out as a silver bullet was embedded deep into its chest. It stumbled away from Yongguk and rushed instead towards it’s child, and Youngjae grabbed Jongup’s dagger, prepared to defend the younger, but the vampire only shot him a glare. 

“You’ll regret this,” the elder vampire snarled before it was grabbing the blonde, tearing off it’s burning shirt, and pulling the younger into its arms. Then, just like that, the two vanished into the darkness. 

“You idiots,” Youngjae breathed, dropping beside Jongup and checking his pulse, quickly grabbing the backpack that had been abandoned against nearby curb and unzipping it to fumble for a bandage. “You fucking idiots…” 

Yongguk tested his muscles, sitting up slowly and sighing in relief as his vision didn’t blur badly enough to have him collapsing again. “Youngjae-”

“What if I woke up and you two were dead? Would that have been better than just telling me you were going on a hunt?” Youngjae’s voice trembled. Yongguk could only pray that he hadn’t heard the elder vampire’s speech before grabbing the younger and setting it alight. “Cause that’s what would’ve happened if I didn’t show up. Why didn’t you fucking tell me?!” 

“You would’ve refused to let us go,” Yongguk sighed, not sure if he could stand so allowing himself to crawl over, shaking Jongup’s shoulder. He was still breathing, but he’d lost a lot of blood. Youngjae had bandaged the shallow wound, it would clot quickly, but he might still need a transfusion depending on how much the vampire had sucked out of him. “And why did you have to go in the first place…?!” 

“Donghae… was murdered, Youngjae. These vampires killed him.” Youngjae’s honey irises looked brown in the darkness, his pupils dilating as the words hit him. “No..” he whispered before shaking his head, and Yongguk wished he couldn’t hear the tremor in the younger hunter’s voice. “We… we can think about that later, but… but I almost lost you too… Guk, I almost lost you too, I can’t…” 

“Youngjae..” he reached forward to hold the younger’s shoulder, but his hand was smacked away. “I don’t care if my fucking hand is broken, I don’t care how damaged I am.” His voice cracked a little, and Yongguk let him speak as he lifted Jongup up and held him close to his body. Yongguk stood as well, stumbling a little but keeping his footing. “Don’t leave me without even saying goodbye.”

Youngjae’s trauma, it appeared back into Yongguk’s mind, and suddenly he felt guilt heavy over his shoulders. “I won’t, I’m sorry, Youngjae. I thought we would be back and wanted to consider your safety above all else.” Youngjae shook his head, over and over, more than he needed to as if he was trying to gather himself as well. “My safety is nothing if I lose you two. Let’s get back. Jongup’s colder than he should be.” 

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------

“What the hell happened?!”

Daehyun was at their side the moment they’d arrived, Baekhyun staring with wide eyes from the couch. Himchan gasped as the silver jammed into his chest throbbed, and the wound was already starting to heal over it. “Your human is what happened,” he hissed out, pressing Junhong into Daehyun’s arms as the younger sobbed with pain, his chest and stomach charred black. It would heal, it wouldn’t kill him, but magic caused wounds to heal slower, and it would take a day or two before the burns were entirely gone, before the pain ceased. Himchan stumbled to the dresser behind the couch, dragging open one of the stiffer drawers and pulling out a set of tweezers and a small scalpel before hurrying towards his bedroom. “I need to pull this bullet out before the skin heals over it. Take care of Junhong,” he gasped out before the door was slamming. 

Daehyun was afraid. He had expected Himchan to come back with news of two dead hunters, not to come back with a bullet wound and a burned Junhong. Youngjae had done this to Junhong, Junhong who was too kind of a kid to even want to bite a human, and Daehyun felt anger flood his veins. He didn’t have time for it. 

“Jun, let’s go to the bathroom okay? There’s aloe in there, there’s burn cream, let’s clean you up,” Daehyun cooed, noticing a rather deep cut across the younger’s back as well and feeling the anger only increase. Junhong had tears streaming down his cheeks, his pink irises almost blending in with the redness of the whites around them as Daehyun led him to the bathroom and had him sit down on the closed toilet seat. “Shh, shh, it’s okay,” he promised as he dug through the cabinets under the sink and came out with burn ointment and a towel, which he dampened under the water. “It’s going to hurt, Jun, I need to rub the charred skin off or it’ll heal weirdly. It’ll hurt and then I’ll make it feel better okay?” He talked like he was talking to a child, but that’s what Junhong needed, and the younger quickly nodded as if he didn’t care what it took as long as the pain went away. 

Junhong screamed as Daehyun scrubbed the blackened skin. Junhong cried as he rubbed on the ointment, as the burned blood fell in flicks onto the pristine white tile. Daehyun was furious at the humans who had done this. Junhong wasn’t a threat, Junhong had never been any form of a threat. If anything he was too kind, and yet Youngjae did this to him even though Himchan was the only risk to them. 

Daehyun laid Junhong in his bed, left the sheets off of him as to not irritate the wound any further. It already looked better, he’d let it air out and see how it was in the morning. He made his way to Himchan’s room, where the elder was just placing a bloodied silver bullet carefully onto his bathroom counter. “Himchan,” Daehyun muttered. The elder sighed, as if he was expecting an argument. “Yes, Daehyun?” 

“I’ll get them back for this. I’ll get Youngjae.” His voice trembled. How could Youngjae have done this to someone as innocent as Junhong…? “If you let me see him I’ll get him. You know I can be convincing to humans.”

Himchan stared at Daehyun through the mirror’s reflection for a long time, before slowly asking, “Are you sure? I need to be able to trust you, Daehyun.” The younger simply nodded, his crimson eyes narrowing tightly. 

“I thought he was better than this, but that was a stupid thought. He’s just like the other hunters, attacking mindlessly. You’re right, he needs to be locked up so he’s not a danger anymore.” Something felt wrong in Daehyun’s chest, and he wondered how the hell he could feel betrayed when Youngjae had never promised him anything, had barely even spoken to him. “Hunters… I see why you hate them so much now. Just make sure Jaehwan knows that I’m not doing this for him.” 

Daehyun turned and left the room before his master could respond. His stomach felt tight, and he was angry. When he went out to feed, Himchan not stopping him, he bit tightly into the young, pretty human, relishing for the first time in how the man struggled until he fainted, not bothering to take care of the man after he’d drank enough to feel full.


	16. Effect

A steady beep gave time the illusion of non-existence and the white walls felt tighter to their backs than usual. This room was smaller than the one they usually were placed in, but the injury was less severe, and they could only be thankful that it wasn’t worse. One couldn’t be happier, on a normal case, to have survived what they had. Being jumped by two vampires, both with the intention to kill. No human could’ve prayed for more than just to survive. They were lucky that Jongup just needed a transfusion. They were lucky that Yongguk’s MRI came back with minimal damage shown. 

 

But in the long term, they were as unlucky as anyone could get.

 

Youngjae stared at the pillow beneath Jongup’s head, eyes dull and lips dry as he muttered, “That vampire I talked to, the one I told you about before.” Yongguk had been staring down at Jongup, but his eyes flickered upward and his eyebrows furrowed, waiting for Youngjae to continue. “He told me I was being targeted.” He waited for more, but nothing more came. Youngjae fell into silence, though Yongguk could almost hear him swallow in such a small room. His low voice was like thunder in such a small space, big enough for only barely a bed and two chairs. “You are,” he simply said. “We all are, but especially you.” 

 

“I’ve never heard of vampires baiting humans before,” the younger mumbled. But it was true. Donghae’s death was the perfect worm to put on the hook, and they had no choice but to take the bite. Usually the hunter was the one to set up traps, vampires being too strong in comparison to need the same tricks and methods. But these vampires weren’t just looking for a meal, they had a very specific goal. 

 

“They wanted us dead,” Yongguk muttered. “But they wanted information first. That might be the only reason why I got out of that mess without my guts hanging out.” Youngjae swallowed again, Yongguk watched his throat bob and sighed heavily. “And if you hadn’t shown up, Jongup…”

 

“Would be dead. Would’ve been drained. If I hadn’t woken up by coincidence and noticed that the house was empty, Jongup would be dead.” Youngjae’s words were harsh with honesty, but what he said was entirely true, as much as it pained Yongguk to consider. If their plan had gone through perfectly, if Youngjae had stayed ignorant of their mission, or even if he couldn’t find them in the city streets in time… 

 

Yongguk slowly returned his eyes back to the youngest member of their team, fast asleep, an IV connected to the skin right under the rolled up sleeve of his jacket. The wound on his neck, now neatly patched, was messy, bruised purple from where the blonde vampire had sucked too tightly on it, the bites torn a little. It had been inexperienced, that was to show from its reluctance to bite him in the first place. If Jongup had died to a vampire that barely even knew how to bite, let alone fight… 

 

How would he have lived with himself?

 

“Guk… This isn’t the end of this,” Youngjae whispered, his voice going lower, quieter, every time he spoke again, as if someone could be listening, as if Jongup was able to hear them in his sleep. “They lived. They got away, and they’ll come back whenever they think we’re vulnerable again. They know about my fire now, we won’t be able to use that as a surprise tactic-”

 

“They already knew about your fire when they attacked us.” Yongguk was the one whispering now. He didn’t want to tell Youngjae. He didn’t want to tell him the reason why they were being targeted, the reason other than the fact that they were killing vampires just a little too often. There weren’t many magica out there, and there were definitely not many who had the magic actually coursing through their blood like Youngjae did. Jongup’s tattoos were magic, and yet he hadn’t been mentioned in the elder vampire’s plans. They wanted a pure magica, a natural one. Youngjae was the only one Yongguk had ever even heard of. 

 

“They already knew?” Youngjae repeated, concern crossing his expression. “I’ve never seen their faces before. We’ve never fought them before, have we?” Yongguk shook his head, but suddenly dread washed over him. “We haven’t, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t been watching us.” Youngjae tensed. How long had these vampires been following in their shadow? Long enough to watch them fight, absolutely long enough to see their tactics, their habits. “I was attacked at that park before the vampire interfered… The one that attacked me said that he wasn’t going to kill me, and yet they attacked us. There’s no way two separate groups of vampires are after us.”

 

Yongguk rubbed his eyes. It was time to bring the fearful reality to the light, as much as he wished he could keep Youngjae ignorant to such things. “They attacked us. Me and Jongup." Youngjae blinked up at him from where his eyes had been fixed on his shoes, and Yongguk finished, "The vampire was trying to get me to tell it where you were, not to kill you but to take you. Some bullshit about magic blood being special or whatever. They want you alive, Youngjae. These vampires very much could be in leagues with the one that tried to grab you at the park." 

He could see the understanding sweep over Youngjae's face like a cloud, his cheeks paling before he glanced down again quickly to hide it. A few seconds of tense silence passed before Youngjae shattered them, asking softly, "When we count victims... we don't count people who go missing right? Just bodies." 

“Youngjae…”  
“We count bodies, Yongguk. How many people do you think are practical blood sacks for these monsters?” Youngjae’s voice trembled, and Yongguk shushed him quickly. “No matter the number, it’s too many. I don’t want you to be included in that number either. You’re tough, Youngjae, but you’re injured.” He nodded to the tight bandages wrapped around the magica’s limp wrist, and Youngjae turned the hand to gaze down at his palm as if it had something to show. “We don’t know what they know. If they’ve been watching us, they know where we live. They know what we bring when we go hunting, they know our formations and tactics.” Youngjae shivered slightly, and Yongguk didn’t attribute it to the chill of the room. “And all we know,” Yongguk continued, feeling himself welling with anxiety that he didn’t realize was filling him up until the glass was near spilling over. “-is that they want me and Jongup dead… and they want you alive. That’s all we know. We know their faces, we know that the blonde one is weak, that the black-haired one is strong. But we don’t know how many of them there are, and we don’t have the ability to hunt them down without them attacking us first. We were trapped before we even knew that we’re in danger.” 

 

“So what do we do about it?” Youngjae asked, tipping his head back to rest against the back of the chair and closing his eyes, releasing his breath as if it held all of his worries and furrowing his brows as if realizing that none of the fear had left. Yongguk had to process; Being the tactician of the group, he usually had the answers. He bowed his head and slowly returned his gaze back to Jongup, bandaged neck and closed eyes revealing just how close to death he had been only hours ago. 

 

“We lay low.” Yongguk’s voice felt like an echo through the small room, foretelling of a future laden with concern. “And we get prepared. When they come again, we need to be able and ready to kill them. Until then, we’re being extra cautious on our hunts and putting more runes on the house.” Youngjae nodded, about to speak, but his words were hushed back between his lips when a short cough pierced the air between them. Jongup’s eyes fluttered, and he squeezed them back shut as if the light of the room was too much. 

 

“Good morning, Uppie,” Yongguk sighed, stroking the younger’s hair gently to help him wake up. “There’s a lot I need to tell you.”

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

"Daehyun says he'll cooperate." 

Jaehwan's eyes were tinted with violence, Himchan never failed to notice this whenever they interacted despite how many hundreds of years it had been since Jaehwan turned him. While Daehyun's were rubies and Junhong's were like faded roses, Jaehwan's were the color of dried blood, and Himchan could easily go about believing that the blood that he consumed by the liter filtered into his irises. These violent eyes twinkled in the office’s low lighting, and Himchan resituated himself in his chair. 

“Does he?” Jaehwan asked fluidly, a deceivingly humble grin spreading over his tanned lips. “That’s unusual. What, may I ask, made him change his mind? He seemed rather determined when he shoved Chanyeol away the other night.” Himchan sighed at the memory. Jaehwan had been furious that his chance to grab the magica had been thwarted by none other than his own rebellious grandchild. Daehyun definitely didn’t want Jaehwan to know about his cooperation, but Himchan was doing him a favor by telling Jaehwan that he was going to follow orders this time. Jaehwan’s fury was absolutely not a position that was safe to bunker in for long, and it was better for Jaehwan to be pleased with Daehyun’s actions than to still be angry at him, regardless of Daehyun’s pride.

“As you know, me and Junhong went after the hunters that you baited the other night. As expected, the magica didn’t arrive, so I took them both down and gave one to Junhong while I interrogated the other.”

“He drank?” Jaehwan asked in awe, and Himchan nodded. “He did. He enjoyed it as well, in the moment. The human that I interrogated, the leader, refused to tell me anything of the magica’s location, but that isn’t so big of an issue in comparison to how the magica showed up unexpectedly and nearly burned Junhong to death.” Jaehwan’s eyes flickered to the office door, and he slowly asked, “How bad is the wound?”

“Horrible,” Himchan replied with a heavy sigh. “It’s been a full day and it’s still got a little healing left to do. He could’ve died if the flames were directed more at his head than his chest.” 

And Jaehwan smiled, softly at first before the grin took up his entire face, looming and dark. Himchan narrowed his eyes. “Is the endangerment of my child funny to you, master?” Jaehwan laughed, high and breathy before shaking his head slowly. “No no, Himchan, you misread me. I’m simply excited. This magica is beautifully powerful. With Daehyun no longer interfering, there’s only so long that it can stay out of our grasps. The next step is to find where the hunters live. The moment they leave their house, we jump on them. Obviously we keep the magica alive, but the other two must be next priority, we need them dead. Their entire team has been a nuisance on all vampires, given that they’ve actually become a threat as of late. Killing them will make me look better to the council, which is a necessity if all of my plans are to blossom.” 

Himchan nodded in agreement. It was a simple plan. With a sigh of conclusion, Jaehwan rose from his seat, straightening out his coat and shooting Himchan a charismatic smile. “Well, that settles all I had to ask. While I’m ashamed that you couldn’t take out two measly hunters, it does make more sense that you’d want to get Junhong out of that situation as soon as possible. Poor kid, that his first real meal had such a price to pay.” The older vampire pouted pitifully. “Either way, Daehyun will be the best chance to grab the magica. In fact, his disobedience is almost favorable, since the poor thing will trust him to spare it again.” 

As if by cue, the front door slammed, and Jaehwan was walking out faster than Himchan could keep up. Daehyun was pulling off his boots, back leaned against the door, eyes cast downward though he surely could feel the weight of Jaehwan’s power in the house. Still, he jumped upon realizing that both Jaehwan and Himchan were not only in the house, but right in front of him, and his eyes narrowed as he dropped his boots to the floor with an echoing clack and moved from the door expectantly. “Aren’t you leaving?” he hissed at Jaehwan, a hand falling onto his hip, and the elder only laughed. 

“You’re so hostile, Daehyun. You don’t have to be afraid, you know. I’ll forgive you easily when you bring me my magica, you should know that I’m merciful in that way.” Daehyun shot an accusing glare at Himchan, who stared back at him with little budge. “I’m not afraid of you,” Daehyun stated, his voice low and growling as he turned back to Jaehwan. “And I’m not getting Youngjae for you, so fuck off with that.”

“Youngjae? Ah, what a pretty name,” Jaehwan cooed. “Would you rather ‘he’ be your pet? You can borrow him here or there, it’s not a bother to me as long as he keeps producing quality.” Daehyun huffed and it only fueled Jaehwan to continue. “But all jokes aside, why can’t you just take my praise, Daehyun? I’m your maker’s master after all. I’m growing tired of how little you respect me.” 

“Fuck off, you know why I hate you damned well,” Daehyun spat, his fingers closing into fists at his sides. Himchan took a step forward, it was time to break this up before something bad happened.

But Jaehwan got to it first. 

 

“And would your late mother really appreciate how much you curse at me?” 

 

Himchan froze and Daehyun was already moving, pacing the few feet between them in an instant and throwing his fist so fast that it seemed to blur. Jaehwan was faster, catching Daehyun’s wrist in his hand right before his fist could connect with the older male’s cheek. Himchan watched the smile slip from Jaehwan’s face, saw the violent red irises cast with fury, and he clearly heard the snap of bone a fraction of a second before Daehyun screamed, before Jaehwan shoved him and he was sent flying across the room. 

He hit the wall and collapsed in a heap, and Himchan was reminded of how similar the motion was to the hunter that Junhong had thrown the night before. He rushed to grab Jaehwan’s arm as the elder marched towards where Daehyun was crumpled. “Jaehwan-”

“Let go or you’re next,” the elder growled, and Himchan obeyed, feeling his hands tremble at Daehyun’s pitiful position, curled around his broken wrist, shaking with gasps and sobs as Jaehwan had snapped the bone clean through. Jaehwan knelt down and grabbed Daehyun’s hair, jerking his head up and smiling peacefully as if he hadn’t just assaulted the younger. “See?” he asked with a gentle smile, even as Daehyun’s cheeks were pink, even as he whimpered in pain, pride forgotten entirely as he tried to kick Jaehwan away from himself, pitifully weak in comparison to Jaehwan’s strength. “Now you can match your Youngjae for a few hours.” He poked at Daehyun’s wrist, the younger yelping, the noise sending Jaehwan into a fit of laughter as he finally let Daehyun go and stood up, straightened his coat again, and headed towards the door. Himchan didn’t wait to rush to his child’s side, stroking Daehyun’s back, pulling him into his arms. The wound would be healed in twenty-four hours, but that didn’t decrease the pain of such a bad break in the slightest. Jaehwan turned back as he grabbed the doorknob, shooting Himchan a friendly smile. “Remember our plan, Channie. And teach your child some manners.” 

The slam of the door drew silence, Daehyun biting into his arm to muffle his cries as Himchan embraced him. Within fifteen minutes the younger had calmed enough that the tears were dried, but fury replaced them. “I want him dead,” he gasped out, and Himchan only nodded understandingly. “I want to kill him.”

“You can’t,” Himchan simply replied. “He’s too strong. But if you give him what he wants, he’ll leave you alone. You know he only jabs at you because you rebel against him.” Daehyun trembled, and Himchan considered the pain that he must be in. His wrist was already horribly swollen, and Himchan scoffed as he remembered what Jaehwan had said. The magica’s wrist was at the least fractured, that was what Himchan had seen when the human had attacked last night, and it was just like Jaehwan to play on that to hurt Daehyun even just a little bit more. 

“I hate him,” Daehyun whispered, leaned back against the wall, Himchan ignoring how his pants would probably be dirtied by the floor and sitting there beside him. “I know,” he responded, stroking through Daehyun’s hair gently. “Once we get him what he wants, he won’t come visit anymore, he won’t need us anymore. Go rest, okay, let your arm heal. We’ll consider tomorrow night how to make this mission go by faster.” 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He couldn’t wait to drop into bed and sleep, despite how he’d only been awake for a few hours now. Those few hours had been hectic and anxiety-filled, so much so that he already felt exhausted. Jongup was fast asleep, thankfully in his bed rather than the hospital room after he was discharged and told to rest for at least a few days. 

Yongguk had retired to his room almost immediately after tucking the younger in, and Youngjae found himself staring tiredly out the window, watching the sun rise slowly over the rooftops across the street. It was another chilly morning, but it was beginning to warm up outside, which was nice. His body wasn’t fond of the cold, and his fevers came more often when he was breathing winter air. The summer wasn’t much better, blankets being too uncomfortably warm around his skin, but it wasn’t something fixable. Given the situation, he wanted even more to just be normal, to not have to deal with vampires wanting specifically his blood or fevers or his scent or any of it, but that wasn’t something he could help. He was born with the ability to create fire, and while he never did learn where it came from or what it was made for, he learned well to control what aspects of it that he could. 

The sun glistened over something, and Youngjae slowly stood from his bed when he noticed a piece of paper that had been taped to the window from the outside, dark words scrawled over it in a handwriting that was scribbled like messy cursive. Careful to not wake Jongup, he clicked open the latches and slid the window up, taking the note and closing it back before returning to his bed to read it. No one really knew them, none of them had friends. Who had stuck a note to their window? Was it a fan that had somehow found them? Was it an angry neighbor? They did take the car out rather late… 

Except, it wasn’t any of these, and Youngjae felt his blood go cold. 

 

‘Youngjae,

It’s me again. I want to talk to you. Bring whatever weapon will make you the most comfortable and meet me at the same park by the swingset at midnight tomorrow night. I swear on my life that I have no intention of harming (or kidnapping) you, I just want to understand some things about humans. See you soon,  
Daehyun’

 

Daehyun. The vampire. The note slipped from his hands, but he barely noticed. The vampire wanted to meet him again. He could trust it, he was rather sure of that given how much the thing had saved him, but he still didn’t feel safe even touching the same paper as a vampire. Would he go…? 

He chalked it up to a maybe. However he felt the next night, he would go or he wouldn’t. If he was being hunted, he would be safe with the vampire that had protected him last time he was attacked, so that wasn’t an issue. Youngjae felt exhaustion tug at his eyes once more and allowed them to close easily, sighing as sleep attempted to take him and he easily let it, not wanting to consider the weight of everything that had happened and everything that was to come. 

\---------------------------------------------------

Mul: ‘Hey, you’re online.’

Daseot: ‘I’m so glad you’re here. I need someone to talk to that isn’t my family.  
Daseot: ‘I almost died last night, Mul. A vampire attacked me.’

Mul: *typing*  
Mul: ‘Holy shit. I’m so sorry, are you okay?? Did it bite you? What did it look like…?’

Daseot: I got bit. I almost bled out, I would’ve died if my brother didn’t come help me. It was tall, it didn’t look like a vampire but it hurt, Mul, it hurt so fucking bad and there’s a chance it’ll come back for me.’ 

Mul: *typing*  
Mul:  
Mul: *typing*  
Mul: 

Daseot: ‘Are you there..?’ 

Mul: *typing*  
Mul: ‘I have to go. I’m so sorry that that happened to you. Please be careful from now on.’

*Mul has logged off*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want yall to know that I accidentally almost make Jongup talk in every single chapter and I’m terrified that one day I’ll post and somehow forget in a paragraph that he’s mute???? Either way, I hope you enjoy this chapter~ I’m trying to update faster when I can, so I really hope you like it! Let me know what you think! Take care.


	17. Similarity

Daseot: ‘Are you there..?’  
Mul: *typing*  
Mul: ‘I have to go. I’m so sorry that that happened to you. Please be careful from now on.’

*Mul has logged off* 

 

He didn’t want to cry, though his throat felt thick with needles and tears were threatening to drip from his lashes. It wasn’t necessarily that Mul didn’t care, but the weight of the night, the weight of his life, all dropping like a guillotine over an innocent head. 

He had a nightmare his first night back at the house, but he didn’t know it was a nightmare until he was shooting awake. He was back at his home, his home before this one, the one he shared with his mother and father and brother. It was happy and warm, the fireplace crackled, the room filled with the scent of fresh pies and the sound of pots clattering against spoons as his mother prepared a meal. As if dreams like this hadn’t deceived him before, Jongup fell right into the moment, sighing as stress that he didn’t know the reason for dissolved in a heartbeat. His brother was upstairs, somehow he knew, and he ran up as if by choice to sit with him. 

“I wanna play too, hyung,” he said with a young voice that sounded so foreign to him, for some reason, and his brother huffed and shook his head. “No, Uppie, it’s a one player game and I really want to get past this level.” Jongup felt his arms cross over his chest, but he contented himself with sitting beside the man instead. This was when he realized that he and his brother were somehow the same height despite being nearly six years apart. It was a strange realization. Jongup’s tattoos shined unfamiliarly in the bedroom’s lighting, and he wondered why this didn’t feel as comfortable to him as it had a moment before. And then he blinked.

The sky was black from beyond the window, a icy draft blew in, rustling shattered glass dust and his brother’s jacket. His heart was pounding as a man stepped through, and then the man was gone. 

But he wasn’t gone, he was now sitting on his brother’s chest, lips on his neck, and Jongup thought that it was strange since only Yongguk did that. The reality wasn’t hitting, it didn’t hit until his brother was struggling and couldn’t shove the person off of him. 

Jongup rushed and tried to shove the man off of his brother, but why did he have a child’s strength in an adult body..? The second man grabbed him from behind, turned him around effortlessly, and in a single bite Jongup felt himself go weak, felt pain pierce through his body, and something was horribly wrong. He screamed but it was wrong, as teeth tore from one side of his neck to the other, as the blood poured out so quickly that the man’s lips couldn’t catch it all, letting it trail down his chest. It was wrong, something was wrong, his voice was wrong as screaming was replaced with gurgling and the only way he could breath was by taking swallowfuls of his own blood to clear his throat. Tears poured down his cheeks, his brother was screaming, then silent. 

He was dropped to the floor and the men were no longer in the room. He coughed and blood shot up from his stomach, he vomited and it was red. His brother was still, his skin greying, his eyes open and the whites of them yellow. He threw up again. Get help. He had to get help. Coughing, blood sputtered out, his throat no longer hurt but he could feel that something was horribly wrong. His brother’s phone was on the floor from where it had been dropped, he crawled to it. Get help. Call somebody.

He called the police, but the line stayed busy. Something was horribly wrong.

He heard a scream from outside of his window, then another, a man, a woman, a child. Something was horribly, horribly wrong. 

He crawled to the closet in case the men came back, he wanted to call for his father, his mother, but everytime he made to speak blood would clog his throat, block his airways. So he called the only person he could think of, the last hope he could consider. Because he was dying, he could feel it somewhere in the tightening of his chest, in how the blood wouldn’t stop flowing, in how tired and cold he felt. 

He called Yongguk, listening to the man’s promises to come help until the cold was overwhelming and the darkness of the closet was spinning, until he was dead and dying. 

And then he had shot up from his bed in a warm bedroom, clutching at his throat and gagging as the taste of blood still lingered and the taste of vomit was in comparison much, much stronger. Rushing to the bathroom he collapsed in front of the toilet and let it out, coughing roughly afterward, throat convulsing with the sting and stomach tightening painfully. He didn’t know where he was for a few minutes, sitting on an unfamiliar bathroom floor, curling into himself as he wiped vomit from his lip. It took a little while for all of his memories to catch up with a nightmare of such intensity, but he felt infinitely better once they did, somehow while still feeling like shit. Staring in the mirror, he analyzed his weary, glossy eyes, reached up and peeled the bandage from his neck and hiccuped upon seeing the two thick fang marks dug into a purple bruise. The last time he was bitten he’d been glamoured, he couldn’t even remember it happening. 

But this time it was all too clear. He’d shoved and kicked and did everything that he was too scared to do as a child, and yet the vampire didn’t stop, didn’t even seem phased, he was too weak, he was always too fucking weak to save himself from this hopeless reality. A vampire that wasn’t even experienced in fighting got the best of him and if not for Youngjae he would’ve died, that moment where exhaustion overwhelmed him would’ve been the last time his eyes fell shut. It was miserable, it was pitiful, and he hated it. 

He logged on, but within minutes Mul was logging off. To say that he had to go… Did he really have to? Jongup wondered if it was too much, too overwhelming, to admit that he’d been bitten, but what else could he do when Mul was his only friend? He couldn’t blame the other for leaving, but it still added just another needle to a row of them down his back, a row of traumas and pains that had all hit within the past few years just hard enough to damage him but not hard enough to break him. 

Youngjae’s form under the blankets across the room was a lump, and Jongup distracted his racing thoughts by wondering how he could contort his body to fit into such small spaces when he slept, curling up like a cat or a mouse in a way that couldn’t be comfortable. He almost felt bad for waking the older male up, but it was dark and images kept flashing into his mind and Youngjae could always find a way to comfort him when Mul wasn’t around. 

Gently he reached down to touch the pile of blankets that Youngjae was under… and they gave under his palm. Unexpecting such an event, Jongup fell face first into the bed, rubbing his nose that had bumped against the mattress and rubbing his eyes to see better in the dark room. Youngjae wasn’t really there, his comforter was shoved up against the wall, but no Youngjae. Jongup sighed, sitting back on Youngjae’s bed, breathing in the magica’s honey-tinted scent and letting his eyes fall shut. Did he really go out again..? After all that had happened? Jongup closed his fingers around the sheets under his hand and froze when he heard something crackle beside him. Slowly glancing down, he saw a small, folded piece of paper. Picking it up, he scanned the words, his heartbeat accelerating before he grabbed his dagger and ran through the dark living room and out the front door. 

Because Youngjae had gone out again, had gone out to meet someone. And a human wouldn’t have to reassure someone that they weren’t going to kill or kidnap them. His mind flashed to the vampire that lingered over him on the night that they fought in the orphanage, dusty blonde hair and ruby red eyes that demanded Youngjae be cared for. What was this vampire…? What did it want with Youngjae? 

He considered texting Yongguk, or even just waking him up. He’d be pissed upon finding out that not just Youngjae but also Jongup went out this late, and Jongup was hit with the reason why the moment he stepped out the door. The cold night air was too uncomfortably similar to last night’s, and a flash of a blonde vampire and a black-haired one appeared in his mind. He trembled at the memory. Was he really going to go back out..? It was for Youngjae, it was to make sure he was safe. 

Jongup’s fingers shivered as he typed out a text, not to Yongguk but to Youngjae, taking a few steps back into the house. 

‘If you’re not home in an hour I’m coming out to find you. Please don’t make me have to.’ 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was a chilly night. Daehyun pulled his jacket tighter around his body, fond of the red plaid but not of how thin it was. He considered the heat of day, how the sun on his skin once was refreshing rather than painful. The memory of glistening sunlight and children playing in parks only a little less colorful than this one… it was fading faster than he wanted it to. 

Most of his memories were falling away like that, his human memories, dissipating everytime he turned a blind eye so that he’d look back and wonder what was missing from those years. Even his mother’s face had become a blank slate, a blurry image of a woman with long brown hair and a beautiful, full smile. 

He was told when he was young that he resembled her a little, so sometimes even now he’d look into the mirror, wondering when his skin became so pale, wondering if his mother’s eyes had the same bags under them, if her lips were the same shape. He didn’t have siblings, he didn’t have a father, and for the life of him after ninety years of vampirism he couldn’t really remember why. His father had been gone since he was a child, and that was that. Surely he’d been told the reason, but even something as important as that had faded away. 

Maybe Himchan was right about him missing humanity. Empty parks and full moons could only be comforting for so long. Maybe that’s why he was so intent on keeping Youngjae safe. A magica just like his mother was, someone who uses flames. His mother would light fireplaces in their village and help warm meals in the poverty-stricken area that they lived in. She was called a witch by travellers, but the village was grateful to her and therefore guarded her with everything that they had. That was until one traveller…

A flash of Jaehwan’s face, and Daehyun was shaking his head, forcing himself out of his thoughts. His watch stated that midnight was seven minutes ago, and he was rather surprised in considering that Youngjae might actually not come. He’d taken the human for much more curious than that, and somewhere deep inside he felt relief. Maybe if Youngjae didn’t come, he wouldn’t have to decide whether to follow Himchan’s wishes or continue protecting him. But fate wasn’t so simple, and he smiled weakly as he saw a form trudging across the grass in the distance. 

He waited for Youngjae to approach him, having no intention of scaring the human he was trying to… guard? Capture? He was so adamant before, but seeing Youngjae’s face again shoved doubt into his chest. He would decide tonight maybe. Bringing back the image of Junhong’s burns, of his little brother’s tears, the decision became easier. 

He smiled. There was anger still flickering like sparks in his chest, there was conflict trembling at his fingertips and there was guilt for the act that he was about to put on, but he still smiled as if nothing was on his mind. Youngjae didn’t smile back, stopping five feet away, eyes narrowed as he dug into the pocket of his hoodie and pulled out a tiny canister. 

“Put this on.” 

His smile faltered a little in honest confusion, Youngjae throwing the small can and Daehyun picking it up from where it fell at his feet. Upon closer inspection, he realized with little understanding that it was a travel-sized can of bug spray. “Uh…”

“I said, put it on. Use the whole damned can if you have to.” Daehyun blinked, but popped the cap open and sprayed the contents of the can over his torso and legs, closing his eyes and being sure to get his face as well if only for Youngjae’s comfort. When he felt fully covered in a rather uncomfortable, sticky layer of bug spray, he dropped the can and raised an eyebrow. “Is this fine?” Youngjae’s cheeks puffed a bit, his lip jutted out, but slowly he cleared the distance between them. Daehyun was sitting on one of the swings, and he found himself surprised when Youngjae sat on the swing right beside him rather than further away. They were within arm’s length now, and Daehyun suddenly realized why Youngjae didn’t seem so hesitant anymore. 

“You’re pretty smart, you know that?” Daehyun said, slowly realizing what he’d done to himself. Bug spray was highly flammable, and now it was covering him from head to toe. If Youngjae felt uncomfortable he could literally reach over, light his fingers, and Daehyun would be a torch. Youngjae hummed before picking at the bandages on his damaged wrist, asking without even looking in Daehyun’s direction, “Now why shouldn’t I kill you?” 

An image of Junhong appeared again, and Daehyun narrowed his eyes. Maybe Youngjae really was the heartless killer that he’d convinced himself he wasn’t. Maybe he’d been putting his mother’s face on Youngjae’s the entire time, only now seeing that this human had no intention of giving mercy or limiting his power. But tonight’s conversation would decide that. “I think it’s only fair if you don’t. As I’ve said, I’ve saved you three times now. Shouldn’t we even out the score a little?” Youngjae laughed, halfhearted and breathy, slowly shaking his head. “My team would kill me if they knew I was out here, you know. They almost killed me the last time I ran into you too. So ask your questions that I probably won’t answer and go away.” Daehyun frowned, but did as told. “Alright. My first question would be asking why you’re still afraid of me.” 

Youngjae blinked up, face scrunching a little in confusion. This obviously wasn’t what he was expecting, but slowly he responded, “Because if you wanted me dead, I’d be dead in a second. You could literally disappear and kill me before I’d even be able to blink.” Reasonable. Daehyun figured that Youngjae should have more faith in him given that he’s never made an attempt to hurt him, but maybe the faith in him was the fact that Youngjae was even here, sitting next to him, that Youngjae had even showed up. 

“Now it’s my turn,” the human stated and Daehyun glanced his way, humming gently. “Why the hell do you care about me enough to save me? It’s the opposite of every other vampire.” Youngjae kicked off the ground, shifting his swing a little, and Daehyun realized with maybe too much fondness that his hair was still wet, wondering if he’d just gotten out of the shower recently. But Youngjae was still talking, and honey eyes were back to watching him, so he listened closer. 

“They say my blood smells good or whatever. I hate it. I’ve been bitten more times than I can count, my neck is a scar-fest because of your fucking kind, and I’ve almost died too many times now as well. So why not you? Why did you warn me that there were vampires after us, why did you get that one off of me when you could’ve just bitten me yourself?” 

Daehyun nodded as he spoke, the questions were reasonable enough. In Youngjae’s eyes, Daehyun probably just kept popping up to save him then disappearing again. But he didn’t do that reasonlessly. “I don’t bite you, for one, because I have some self control. Your blood does smell good, I won’t lie to you.” Youngjae swallowed, his fingernails dug tighter into the bandages. “But compare it to food, alcohol, even drugs. A number of vampires hunt as a sport and drink just to drink, just to feel good. But not all of them.” Daehyun also kicked off, the noise of his swing and Youngjae’s creaking just slightly out of sync rather comforting in its own strange way. “I drink when I’m thirsty. It’s necessary after all. Just like humans need to eat, we need to drink. Animal blood doesn’t cut it, and human food isn’t nutritious enough to keep us going. There’s no other choice.” Youngjae huffed, shaking his head, but Daehyun didn’t hesitate to continue. “And I know that you’re thinking that I’m lying, or that I’m just trying to make myself look good, but that’s how it is. My master raised me to not indulge on such things, so I don’t. Even if you smell good, I don’t need to drink from you to survive, so I don’t.” 

“Then who do you drink from?” Youngjae asked with a scoff. “Go ahead and let me know all about your victims. Do they cry when you bite them? Do you kill them?”

“I go to clubs. I wait outside, get myself tipsy, and hang out. I start conversations with people who want a break from the club’s atmosphere, I wait for them to initiate. When we’re becoming more intimate over the next few hours, I let them know of my identity and ask them if I can drink, I tell them that I’ll glamour them so that it’ll feel good and they often say yes.”

It was a lie. An absolute lie. His victims did cry when he bit them, they expected kisses to their necks and got fangs. But Youngjae couldn’t know that. Wide eyes were staring at him, and Daehyun was so good at faking honesty that it hurt a little to do. “Clubs, seriously?” 

“It’s the easiest way to do it without hurting anyone.” 

“So you go to drunk, probably drugged up humans and trick them.” 

“Would you rather me roam the streets and jump anyone who can’t get inside before the doors locked?” 

Silence. Youngjae bowed his head, and they swung together like two tired teenagers in the dark of night before Youngjae was finally changing the subject. “Tell me about your coven.” Daehyun laughed, loud and quick, and Youngjae shot him a glare, perhaps feeling like the moment was more serious than Daehyun was giving it credit for. “If I asked you to tell me about your team, would you?” The magica’s eyes shot into a glare within a single blink, and Daehyun grinned, “Didn’t think so.” 

“It’s not the same,” Youngjae whined, and Daehyun shook his head. “It’s absolutely the same. They’re my family just like your team is your family. They’re all that I have. Even though I trust you enough to spray me down with bug spray and sit right next to me, I can’t tell a powerful, top-class hunter information about my family. You should understand.” Youngjae sighed, but it seemed that he got the point well enough. “You still didn’t answer one of my questions,” he mumbled. “Why me? If you don’t have an interest in biting me then that’s entirely fine by me, but why do you go out of your way to keep getting me out of trouble? That night when those men were chasing me… A vampire attacked us all in that alley. It killed every one of the men that Mr. Lee sent and then it turned to kill me as well. Why didn’t you let it? And the other night, when that one…”

“You remind me of my mother,” Daehyun interrupted, knowing no amount of waiting would spare the reaction that he was going to get from saying such a thing. Sure enough, Youngjae gawked at him, asking with an incredulous voice, “What?” 

“Nuh uh, not saying anything else. Take it or leave it, you’re the one who asked,” Daehyun said, teasing under his breath and thankful that Youngjae didn’t realize that he was being jibed at. Youngjae huffed, kicking at the wooden chips under his shoe. “If you’re saying I look girly fuck you, I get that enough…”

“Yes, but no. You are very pretty, I’ll admit.” 

“I’m three seconds from burning every inch of your skin off.” 

And Daehyun found himself laughing again, honestly laughing, which was rare nowadays. Junhong was so stoic, Himchan was so serious, it was hard to find someone to joke with even if Youngjae wasn’t really joking. Youngjae stared at him like he was diseased as he giggled, the human finally muttering, “You’re a really fucking weird vampire, you know that?” 

“Perhaps,” Daehyun replied, unable to erase the grin that had formed over his lips. “But I’m much better than the other scum, don’t you think?” It was just a petty joke, but he didn’t expect Youngjae to actually smile, the human bowing his head in an attempt to hide it. “Don’t get your hopes up,” he muttered, unable to hide the smile that had traced over his small mouth, and Daehyun found a weight was slowly lifting from his chest that he didn’t know was there in the first place. 

“So, your mother then.” Daehyun’s smile faded immediately, but he replaced it with a halfhearted, artificial one, responding gently, “What about her?” 

“Exactly. What about her? What about me reminds you of her so much that you’ve gone so far out of your way to keep me alive?” 

Fire. The answer was fire. She was warmth incarnate, she was the sun in his eyes. The village called her a witch and in turn she warmed their homes and cooked them meals. When Daehyun asked why she was doing it, she told him that fighting hate with hate would only bring ruin to an already hateful world. Sure enough, the village grew to rely on her, learned from their mistakes. Daehyun learned a valuable lesson too. And then it was torn to pieces, right in front of him. 

“You have similar eyes.” It was the first lie that he had difficulty telling in possibly ninety full years, and Youngjae shook his head. “You’re weird.” 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

His laptop had gone dim nearly thirty minutes ago, and yet Junhong was still staring at the screen, taking huffing breaths, as if there was still something there to see. It couldn’t be true. It absolutely couldn’t be. Daseot wasn’t a hunter because Daseot was a high school kid who lived with his two brothers, the two brothers that worked overnight as stockers, one having hurt his wrist. 

It was a coincidence that there were two hunters with the one he’d bit, one with a wrapped wrist. 

But it wasn’t. 

Junhong hiccuped, holding his breath so that the sound of his crying wouldn’t echo out to where Himchan with his bat-like hearing could catch onto. Daseot was a hunter. It didn’t hurt him as much as he would’ve expected it to, knowing this sort of information. What hurt this badly was what Junhong did to him, and knowing how he felt about it.

He’d said in the message that it had hurt, that it had hurt badly. Daseot had cat-like eyes that had filled with tears, had thinner lips that parted only to gasp in pain as Junhong sucked at his neck like a rabid animal, like a monster. He had tattoos lining his arms that Junhong had dug his fingers so harshly into that it probably bruised, he was shorter, he was attractive, he was a hunter and Junhong had nearly killed his only friend in a rare moment of lacking control. 

What if he had? Sucked Daseot dry, what if he’d done it? What if the messages had just stopped coming, would he have found out? 

He had to tell Himchan, but he absolutely wouldn’t. More than Himchan, he couldn’t tell Daseot who he was, what he was. It was selfish, it was cruel, but Junhong couldn’t bear to know that his only friend could possibly be terrified of him.

But Himchan wanted the hunters dead, and that included Daseot… 

Junhong shoved his face into his pillow, screaming and knowing that Himchan could hear but doing it anyway because this was fucking awful and he was already exhausted. When the knock came to his bedroom door he only cried, cried harder when Himchan was sitting at his bedside and stroking his back, and when the elder asked what was wrong, Junhong honestly sobbed out, “I really, really regret going on that hunt...” 

\----------------------------------------------------------

The door opened and slammed shut around one in the morning. Himchan was sitting on the couch, and he glanced up hopefully as Daehyun’s tired eyes met his own. “How did it go?” he asked, too cautiously, too disettled, as if he didn’t trust Daehyun to have gone according to plan. He was absolutely right not to trust him. Daehyun’s mind was racing in circles with doubt. “It went fine,” Daehyun sighed. “I’m covered in bug spray and I made him laugh, so there’s a start.” 

“You’re talking about it like it was a date,” Himchan sighed, and Daehyun glared. “Baby steps, hyung. He’s… he’s too cautious. I need to break down some walls first.” As each word spilled from his lips, he realized how much pain they all put him in. It was a trap. He was baiting Youngjae, and it was beginning to work already. Why did it hurt so bad? Why did he feel so guilty? 

Himchan smiled halfheartedly, seeming to notice the struggle in his child’s eyes. “You’re doing a good thing, Daehyun,” he assured, pulling his child closer and stroking through his hair. “I promise it’ll be worth it once this is over.” 

But somehow, he wasn’t so sure.


	18. Foreboding

The winter ended in tiny steps. First the leaves began to appear day by day back onto the trees, the sagging branches perking up towards the cloudless skies. Jongup found that his leather jacket was too warm during the day, and Youngjae left his scarf wrapped around his bedpost even despite his consciousness towards the little teeth marks scattered across the side of his neck. Yongguk turned the heater down during the day and back up at night. As winter faded to spring and as spring slowly inched its way towards summer, things almost felt like they used to be. Hunts were short and simple. Youngjae’s wrist had healed enough that it didn’t have to be wrapped anymore, enough that he could go with them. The vampires that had jumped them before had yet to appear again. In Yongguk’s perspective, things were almost too calm. 

No, not almost. They were too calm. A life like theirs wasn’t this quiet unless something was brewing beyond their eyesight. The ease of their life left him uncomfortable. Youngjae and Jongup had long accepted the peace, peace being a rather inviting thing after all, and asked why he was still so worked up, but didn’t it make sense to be? This was life or death. The second they rolled onto their backs, something could pounce. The second they forgot to watch their backs on the midnight streets, they could be attacked again. 

This hunt would most likely be just like the rest. Jongup was in the living room sorting through their medical backpack, taking out the supplies that probably wouldn’t be so necessary and replacing empty disinfectant containers and gauze rolls. The sun had just set maybe fifteen or so minutes ago, so they had a good portion of the night to do things carefully, step by step. Yongguk sighed as he sheathed the dagger Sojung gave him and made his way out of his bedroom. The anxiety in his chest was always prevalent, but now that it had a reason to exist, it was roaring. Even though it had been two months ago, he couldn’t settle knowing that Jongup had almost died just a few feet away from him, knowing that he had been powerless. He couldn’t go on hunts with the same rash tactics when there were vampires who intended to take Youngjae away. 

He watched the two from the hallway for a moment, sighing as he considered at what great risk his family was in. Youngjae was shrugging on a thin jacket, making sure it didn’t hang over the knife at his hip and rolling up the sleeves so that he wouldn’t accidentally catch it alight when he used his fire. Jongup was zipping up the medical bag and slinging it over his shoulder, staring out the window. In the glass, Yongguk could only see himself, the darkness being too thick to make out what was outside, and he only realized that Jongup was staring at him in the reflection when the younger turned to face him and signed out, ‘Is it time?’ 

“Yes,” Yongguk replied softly. Youngjae grabbed a baseball cap, hid his eyes under its shadow, but confusion flickered in his expression when Yongguk handed him the red plaid scarf that had been hanging on the doorknob of his and Jongup’s room. “Guk, I don’t need this tonight-”

“We’re not baiting anymore, Youngjae. Cover your neck” His words were final, and it seemed the magica hadn’t realized that Yongguk knew why he wasn’t going to wear a scarf tonight. Youngjae’s eyes flicked downward, and he softly asked, “If not by baiting, how are we going to get results? We haven’t been jumped in weeks. Vampires won’t pay us the time of day if they know my scent well enough to know that I can kill them. We have to bait or we won’t reel one in to kill in the first place-”

“We’re not baiting,” Yongguk repeated, tone more firm this time, and Youngjae sighed. “I know you’re worried…” Yongguk huffed, stepping past the younger to grab his gun from where it was laying static on the coffee table, shoving it into the holster at his side. “Yes, I definitely am worried. It’s not unreasonable. Do you think those vampires were making useless threats? I can’t lose you, Youngjae. I can’t lose either of you just because we couldn’t be cautious.” 

The room fell quiet, but Yongguk almost preferred that to a response that might lead to bickering. Jongup had his hand on the door handle already, eyebrows creasing together worriedly at Yongguk’s downtraut expression, but he said nothing of it, opening the door once the other two were waiting for him to do so. The night air was crisp and clean in comparison to their dusty, unkept house, but it was too clear, too thin for comfort. The night was always dangerous after all. Yongguk almost hoped they didn’t run into anything tonight either, though that was probably wishful thinking. 

Three hours of walking the streets, and it was silent. How had they made such a name for themselves that so many vampires out there left them at peace? For most humans it was a miracle to survive a few hours into the night if one was so unfortunate to be trapped out in the dark. But here they were, tensed and silent, and nothing had attacked them. 

Were they being baited themselves..? The question lingered harshly on Yongguk’s mind. This was abnormal, three days without a single vampire to kill. His eyes flickered to Jongup, to Youngjae, both who were focusing dead ahead at the dark, ongoing asphalt of a desolate highway. They’d turn around and go home in an hour after three laps around the same route. Somehow, in a world where vampires filled their stomachs with human blood and craved for theirs specifically, they were walking through the night without conflict.

“Something’s wrong,” Yongguk finally said aloud, and Jongup gazed at him wide-eyed as if breaking the silence was issuing them a death sentence. “They know we’re out here. They can smell Youngjae out and they can probably smell you as well, me if they’re close enough. There’s no way we haven’t passed a vampire in three miles.” They didn’t respond. It was obvious that Yongguk was right, something was very off and not knowing was almost scarier than being attacked at this point. What was deterring the monsters?

“We need to head home. We’ll think about this tomorrow when we’re not on the streets.” 

“Wait.” Youngjae’s voice was meek, a whisper, and Jongup was staring at something, his hand slowly lowering to his waist where his dagger rested. Yongguk turned quickly enough to spot red in the darkness, before it was gone. 

Jongup whipped out his dagger, Yongguk his gun, Youngjae’s hands ignited with flames that illuminated the previously dark highway and revealed nothing. And they waited. Vampires could move faster than humans could comprehend, it could reappear at any point, whether behind them or mid attack. But the silence waged into the night, and after seven minutes, Youngjae extinguished his hands. “It’s gone,” he muttered, confusion evident in his voice, confusion that wracked through Yongguk’s mind like a hurricane. There was a vampire there, he was certain, so why didn’t it attack? It only confirmed further that something was off, but it still didn’t give them an answer as to what was causing the deterrence. 

“We need to go,” Yongguk muttered, and there was no argument. With a spring to their step, the three hunters pressed back towards the house, feeling eyes on their backs and anxiety in their guts, and yet the roads were still dead silent.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------

The park was warmer, and Daehyun had apologetically hung his plaid jacket up in the back of his closet to wear when the weather fell cold again in the fall. Time passed unbelievably fast as each year swiped by, and he was beginning to lose track of how many winters and summers he’d followed this routine for. 

The grass was dewey, it tickled at his shoes with each passing breath of wind and stained his white socks a damp shade of green. This would be his fourth meeting with Youngjae; That was something he hadn’t been able to lose track of no matter how he wanted to. 

The human was more interesting than he’d wanted, and he hated how he was becoming attached because he entirely expected it to happen just like this. He’d bait the magica and in turn, bait himself. No, he was already baited from the start, when he saw Youngjae leaning against the desk in the hotel, having survived when no other human in the room could’ve had a chance. What would’ve happened if he’d left Youngjae to die in that alley? Would the hunters be as powerful as they’d become recently? A thought crossed his mind while he tried to fall asleep that it might’ve even been merciful to have let him die before he became a hunter. Death is peaceful after all, or so they say. But the thought pained him, he’d always been the sympathetic type; So he pushed it aside as the unchangeable past. Youngjae was alive, that was what mattered. And no matter what worst case scenario might come with the month of May, he would stay alive. Daehyun swore that to himself, would swear it to Youngjae when the time came. 

But guilt is a heavy burden even still. 

He could hear the footsteps before he could see the human’s figure approaching. He didn’t even try to hide the bug spray can anymore, but Daehyun was used to the scent by now, the stickiness of his skin and clothes. Youngjae hadn’t tried to set him alight yet, no matter how many times he threatened to. Daehyun wished he could feel victorious knowing that the hunter was beginning to trust him more and more each time they talked. Instead he felt a pressure in his chest even seeing Youngjae approach. He had know way of knowing of the scam taking place in each word that flowed from Daehyun’s lips when they talked. He had no way of seeing the miserable future. 

Daehyun had asked Himchan for time, and Himchan had asked Jaehwan. It worked out; Jaehwan was going on a business trip to China to discuss with the council there, and he would be gone for three weeks. According to Himchan, he expected to return and find a magica wrapped up and ready for him to profit off of. Three weeks. It was all the time Daehyun was allowed to have. 

Honestly, he could take Youngjae now if he so wanted. The human sat carelessly in the swing next to him, and in the span of fifteen seconds Daehyun could’ve grabbed him and just dealt with the blisters on his hands from the burns. Himchan said that Jaehwan’s child Suho was working on a device that would make their goal much, much easier, but Daehyun didn’t know what it was. Fire resistant clothing? Some way of capture that didn’t involve touch? He could drug Youngjae if he wanted, take him for food and spike it. It would be easy, clean, painless for him and for the magica involved. 

But he had three weeks until Youngjae would spite him, so he smiled at the human who never smiled back and accepted the can of bug spray, showering himself with it quickly and handing it back. Youngjae pocketed it halfheartedly. 

“I don’t know why you keep calling me out here,” the human muttered. Daehyun chuckled, lifting his chin to stare up at the sky. The stars shined with tints of blues and reds that human eyes weren’t capable of seeing. He wished he could point each one out to Youngjae, but the other probably wouldn’t care too much. “I don’t know why you keep coming,” he honestly responded, and Youngjae kicked at the wooden chips beneath his feet, the swing creaking in response and rocking him meagerly back and forth. “It’s boring,” Youngjae responded after a pause, as if he himself had to figure out why he was here in the dark, sitting beside a vampire. “No hunts have turned up at all. Is it your fault? That vampires aren’t attacking us anymore?” Daehyun’s eyebrows knitted together. He hadn’t heard anything about that before. 

“It’s not me. I figure vampires would swarm to get a taste of you, so it doesn’t make much sense if you haven’t been bothered in a while.” Youngjae stared at him for a long time, gauging his honesty, before sighing and letting his head fall to stare at the wooden chips beneath his feet. “It’s weird. I figured it was you scaring them off, so I was going to tell you to stop.” 

“Why?” Daehyun asked after a pause. “Wouldn’t you prefer peace and quiet? Safety? You complain so much about getting bitten and being in danger after all.” Youngjae gripped the chains holding the swing to the bar above, using his own momentum to swing further and further until he was relatively high up, out of Daehyun’s reach if he so chose to try and reach him. “You wouldn’t understand, what are you, three thousand years old?” 

“Ninety, and I’m a little offended, if that boosts your ego.” Youngjae chuckled, but he sounded too tired to actually seem amused. “When you’re always living with your heart racing, it feels wrong when it slows down,” Youngjae muttered, and Daehyun had no issue hearing him even over the wind and the crickets chirping. “We fight for our lives, for other people’s lives, so often that I feel useless just… sitting around. No calls, no reports. It’s intimidating how silent it is. Almost like a storm’s coming.” 

Daehyun’s heart fell at the magica’s words. A storm was definitely coming, but no matter how much he wanted to warn the other, to protect him, Himchan’s wishes came first. As much as he hated Jaehwan and wanted to keep Youngjae out of his grasps, that wasn’t up for dispute. If Daehyun wouldn’t grab him, someone else would, someone more forceful, more dangerous. The least he could do was try and get Youngjae to rely on him and hope that the betrayal doesn’t turn out stronger than the trust. 

But that wasn’t likely. Daehyun kicked off, and soon he was swinging as high as Youngjae was, still leaning back to stare up at the night sky and the flickering array of stars. “You’re going to fall like that,” Youngjae mumbled. “It won’t kill me,” Daehyun responded. “And I heal quickly. There’s no harm in a fall for me like there is for you.” Youngjae was so delicate, humans in general were. Jaehwan would break him. Daehyun’s chest felt tight every time he considered this. Why did he care so much…? Youngjae wasn’t his mother. He wouldn’t be able to save him from Jaehwan just like he wasn’t able to save her. It hurt to consider.

Lifting himself back to sitting, Daehyun jumped off of the swing, Youngjae’s eyes going wide before he seemed to remember that Daehyun, as he said, wouldn’t get hurt so easily from a simple fall. He caught himself without even stumbling, and Youngjae tensed his arms to slow the momentum of his own swing, still staring at his boots and the dewey wooden chips below. “I don’t trust you,” he whispered suddenly, and Daehyun’s eyes flicked to stare at him, slowly biting his lip between his sharp fangs. “I don’t trust that I feel safe around you,” Youngjae continued. “Vampires aren’t… It’s like a lion associating with a rabbit. It doesn’t make sense. Or a cat with a mouse. You’re toying with me, aren’t you? You’ll go in for the kill eventually. You’re protecting me to save me for yourself, right? It’s disgusting to think about.”

Daehyun was quiet, his still heart somehow trembled in his chest, and the world felt colder than it did moments ago. Quietly, gently, he asked, “If that were the case, if you believe that, why do you keep coming?” 

It took two and a half minutes for Youngjae to respond. Daehyun counted the seconds, waited until the swing no longer creaked and Youngjae stood from it. “Because I’m an idiot,” Youngjae whispered, as if talking to himself rather than to someone else. “Because out of all the people who worry over or awe over me and my stupid fire, you’re the only one who treats me like I’m normal. And I guess caring about that makes me an idiot.” 

Daehyun went home quietly. It was a quick sprint, and he didn’t feel breathless from it because he had no breath. His fangs felt heavy in his mouth, he stared at his red eyes in the bathroom mirror, bright rubies so unnatural that it almost felt wrong. Youngjae was wrong to trust him, no matter how much Daehyun wanted him to. Three weeks. Daehyun pulled out a cellphone he’d bought off a vendor on the street, typed to a number that had only reluctantly been given to him. 

‘Let’s meet again tomorrow night? I want to tell you something.’

The response was immediate, and Daehyun wondered where Youngjae was right now. Walking home? Lying on his bed, staring at his phone, confusion and worry in his beautiful, honey eyes. 

‘It better be important.’ The human replied. The vampire closed his phone and slipped it into his pocket, making his way to his bedroom and staring at the dog cage Himchan and Junhong had set up in the corner, lonely and foreboding. Three weeks. Three weeks until he lost him, and Daehyun wondered solemnly if what he was feeling was perhaps more than just attraction after all. 

\----------------------------------------------

Daseot: ‘Are you mad at me?’  
Daseot: ‘You keep reading the messages but you haven’t responded. I figure you’re mad, but I’ve scrolled back and I still don’t understand. Please talk to me.’  
Daseot: ‘You’re my only friend. My brothers are okay, but it’s different, having a friend. I always looked forward to talking to you. At least say goodbye if you don’t want to talk anymore, please Mul.’

Daseot: ‘I don’t understand what’s wrong…’

 

Two months. Two months since he dug his fangs into a hunter’s throat and discovered later that that hunter was his only friend. Images of Daseot’s pained eyes, his gasps as Junhong swallowed his blood up without hesitation, desperate and thirsty, not considering what exactly he was drinking from. He hadn’t left the house in two months. Himchan brought him fresh blood bags, Daehyun came and sat with him in silence, just to keep him company. He appreciated their efforts, but the guilt was almost sickening, and no matter how they wished he would give it another shot, he couldn’t bear the thought of going on another hunt. 

He set up a crate yesterday. The magica, the male with dark hair and pretty eyes that had nearly killed him, would be brought in soon, and Junhong spent his time either on his laptop, pretending like the notifications weren’t popping up every few days or watching how Daehyun seemed to wither more and more the closer it came to Himchan’s deadline for him. Himchan saw it too, saw both of his children crumbling under weights that he wouldn’t understand, being his conservative self. They all ached as a family, but there was nothing that could be done. Daehyun would have to capture Youngjae, Jaehwan demanded it. Junhong had already bitten Daseot, it couldn’t be taken back. And Himchan would watch his children suffer because of these things, unable to change what had happened in the past or would happen in the future. 

He had to reply eventually, but how could he lie? The vampire that bit Daseot.. How could he come out and say that it was him? He knew that Daseot was a hunter now and it raced through his mind on a daily basis, knowing that not only were they friends, somehow by cruel coincidence they were also sworn enemies. His blankets felt tight around his legs, and he swiped them down, clicking on the notification after tension had already broken past his fill-line. 

 

Daseot: ‘Is this goodbye then?’ 

Mul: ‘No. I’m sorry for not responding. Life is painful right now.’ 

It was all he could think to say. He couldn’t be more specific, but it wouldn’t be right to be any less specific, it wouldn’t make up for his silence. Daseot was replying immediately..

Daseot: ‘I’m just glad that you’re not angry, are you okay?’

 

Junhong curled into himself, wondering for the fiftieth time how much better everything would be if he had just said no to that hunt. Daseot was suffering, and would continue to suffer once they took his brother away from him, once Himchan decided that he didn’t deserve to breathe another day, that the hunters were too much of a nuisance. Would Junhong be able to stop him if he tried to kill them? Would he speak up, or would he watch with tears in his eyes, knowing that he never even got the chance to talk to the silver haired man that had been his friend for the past many months. 

 

Mul: ‘No. I’m really overwhelmed. But I’ll move past it. I’m sorry for not responding since then.’

Daseot: ‘It’s okay. I missed you. I’m here for you, okay?’

 

He closed his laptop without a reply. It hurt.


	19. Breathless

Another quiet night. Youngjae found solace in the scarf that he curled around his neck. It was always a nice thing, being able to cover his scars, knowing that nothing could jump out and bite him when a wad of fabric was in the way. He was going out again. It was stupid, insane even, that this would be the fifth time that he’d meet with the same vampire, that he wasn’t afraid in doing so. Daehyun’s smile was soft, genuine, and it was almost wrong in how human-like he was for a vampire, how trustworthy he seemed. No matter how much it had to be fake, it didn’t feel like it was. Daehyun had protected him a number of times. Maybe it was even a tactic to rely on him. He’d protect him from the vampires that were coming after him after all. Maybe it was efficient to get close to him. 

Yongguk was asleep on the couch, hand draped off the side of the cushion and lips slightly parted, dark bangs shadowing his eyes since there was no reason to slick his hair back if they weren’t going hunting. Jongup was curled up on the cushy rug beside the coffee table, a blanket draped over him as if Yongguk had caught him asleep and had decided to take a nap with him. Youngjae took the blanket from his bedroom and slipped it over Yongguk’s form, staring between the two at the table where a map of the city sat, little red and blue pins sticking into the paper. Previous hunts were crossed out, circles were drawn where they figured a vampire would reside, either that or where a mission had been given to them. It was habit, to track where they’d been and where they were going. It would be stupid to run around such a large city blind after all. 

Maybe he himself was running blind, but he pushed the thought aside. There was something he needed to know, and this would be the last time he would go out to meet the vampire he’d been seeing for the past two months. Daehyun would protect him even in his silence, he knew it, so he didn’t feel too worried, didn’t feel guilty for using such a person to his own means. He appreciated the conversations that they had, but Daehyun was a vampire. Vampires couldn’t be trusted. 

The door was silent when he opened it, he was long learned on how to swing it at the right speed to keep it from creaking on its hinges. The walk to the park was fast with how familiar it was, and Youngjae didn’t even bother muffling his steps when no vampire had made an attempt at them for the past few days. The swings were empty when he approached them, and he paused, wondering if Daehyun was somehow late like he never was, wondering if he’d decided to not come at all. A voice echoed from his left, and he turned quickly, heart racing as any unexpected noise in the night could be a danger. 

“I’m over here.” Daehyun was sitting on a bench, and Youngjae wondered why he’d changed up their location so randomly. Perhaps it wasn’t random at all. Fishing in his pocket, he pulled out the tiny bug spray can as per usual, eyes hardening as he approached. “If you’re planning on getting me close to bite me, don’t bother trying,” Youngjae muttered. He didn’t believe that Daehyun would make such an attempt, but it wasn’t worth the risk. Sitting on the bench would put them closer together, give Daehyun more of a reach at him if he so wanted to try. The vampire laughed at the accusation, taking the can that was tossed at him and spraying down as always. “What, and bite into a wad of silk?” Youngjae rimmed his scarf loosely with his fingers before taking a hesitant breath and sitting beside Daehyun, as far from him on the bench as possible.

“Why are we here instead of on the swings?” Daehyun shrugged, lips pursing in nonchalance. “My ass was beginning to hurt. Those things are made for kids after all.” Youngjae huffed. Of course it was some stupid reason. Not anything to worry about. He moved past it. After a pause, Daehyun was mumbling, and Youngjae had to struggle to make out what he was saying, taking a second to decipher the words. 

“I won’t be able to come back for very much longer.”

“Why not?” he didn’t feel defensive, but that was how his tone sounded. Daehyun didn’t seem to have restrictions for the past few months, so what would stop him from returning? It was almost upsetting in a way Youngjae didn’t like to feel, knowing that he wouldn’t have someone to talk to in the silence anymore. It was probably for the best anyway right? If Daehyun didn’t come back, Youngjae wouldn’t have such a conflict on how he was talking with a vampire so often without feeling afraid or even cautious.

“My coven’s noticed me leaving. I don’t want them looking into where I’m going for your sake.” Youngjae tensed, and Daehyun seemed to notice, smiling weakly though he wasn’t looking in the other’s direction. “They won’t hurt you, I won’t let them,” he sighed. “But I’ll have to go away for a while. It won’t bother you right?” Youngjae scoffed, staring down at his boots, watching a tiny spider trickle it’s way across the patch of dirt surrounding the bench. “Why would it bother me? I’m only here cause you keep calling me out. Didn’t you say it was important this time?”

Daehyun laughed. It sounded almost sad, but Youngjae could’ve just been hearing things. “It’s important, yeah, but I’m not sure how to begin explaining something like this.” What would be so complicated that even such a charismatic vampire would be tongue tied? Daehyun exhaled gently and Youngjae wondered why he did it when vampires didn’t have to breathe. He didn’t even seem to notice it, staring up at the stars like they had something to show him before suddenly and dedicatedly glancing to Youngjae. “I’m… I care about you.” 

It was weird, how Youngjae’s heart seemed to skip a beat and pump faster at the same time. What the hell did Daehyun mean by that..? Why would he say something like that? Youngjae scoffed, his nose scrunching. “If this is a confession, I don’t want it. What is this anyway? Are you reading some ‘how to catch a human’ guide? Stupid.” But he was scared. Maybe scared wasn’t the right word, no, it didn’t apply right to the situation. He was in a limbo of anticipation and confusion, worry and curiosity. Daehyun laughed, loud and pleasing. Youngjae didn’t like how the sound softened his conflicting thoughts. “Sure, sure, my book said that you’d fall for me instantly.” But then his smile fell, and Youngjae wasn’t sure why he was so quick to fall between grinning and not, his eyes fading from how they were lit up and his arms crossing over his stomach loosely, like he was stressing over something. Youngjae didn’t care, of course, what was bothering him. He was just a vampire after all, and this was already planned to be the last time he’d meet up with him. So why did he feel like this goodbye was heavier than he’d anticipated, like Daehyun was struggling with the fact that they wouldn’t meet anymore? 

The question came without warning. 

“If I kiss you, will you burn me?” 

Youngjae’s heart jutted to a halt, and Daehyun’s lips quirked upward just slightly as he easily heard the organ do so. “Yes,” Youngjae answered before even thinking, quick and startled, heart realizing its falter and speeding up to twice the pace, thudding like a drum in his chest. A vampire, this was a vampire asking to… It didn’t click the same way it used to, and his cheeks flushed as he stared into Daehyun’s ruby eyes. Daehyun chuckled softly, the rasp of his voice tickling at Youngjae’s skin, and the so-called vampire was already leaning in. Before he could process that it was happening, before he could even begin to decide how to respond, soft lips were encasing his own. He couldn’t close his eyes, staring at the flawless skin of Daehyun’s cheekbone as sparks flickered in his chest, on his fingertips against his will, through his lips, and he wondered why the hell he was letting this happen, why he was letting his eyelids fall heavy when he should’ve just ignited and ran. 

Daehyun seemed to notice that he was pushing his luck, dragging the kiss on for so long, and pulled back with a soft, shiver-worthy noise sounding from their lips parting, his ruby eyes hazy and his slightly swollen lips curved upward in a sad smile. “Liar,” he breathed, low and gentle, and Youngjae couldn’t respond before the man had already disappeared on the wind as if he had never been there in the first place.

Alone on the bench, his arms slowly curled around his stomach. His heart wouldn’t slow down, galloping in paces as the feeling of soft, full lips on his own still echoed through his entire body. Daehyun kissed him. And he’d kissed back. There wasn’t any guilt, as much as he almost wished there was. He’d kissed a vampire, but Daehyun wasn’t… just a vampire. 

The walk home was long, and once he reached the doorstep he couldn’t decide if he wanted to enter or not, if he could even comprehend a conversation if Yongguk or Jongup caught him sneaking in again. Daehyun’s lips were so soft… 

He couldn’t sleep, and his lips still tingled upon remembering what happened even while he ate his cereal the next morning, Yongguk’s voice a blur as he chattered to Jongup about reasons why vampires weren’t attacking lately. “You’re especially quiet this morning,” Yongguk brought up casually when Youngjae stood to refill his bowl. He froze as if being accused, but caught himself almost stuttering out his reply and cleared his throat. “I couldn’t sleep, so I’m tired,” he said, concluding the conversation as soon as he could. Was he glamoured? Or was he just shocked?

Either way, he somewhat guiltily hoped that this wouldn’t be the last time he’d see Daehyun so that he could at least ask why the kiss had happened, and perhaps, just maybe, let another one happen in the process.

\---------------------------------------

“Special delivery from my master to yours.” 

The man sounded as exhausted as he did irritated, and Junhong practically had to catch the package that was shoved towards his chest, wrapped crudely with more tape than paper as if it was literally thrown together. “Uh, sure, who are you?” he asked, voice cracking a little in confusion. The man was shorter than him as most anyone was, obviously a vampire by common sense and the murky red of his eyes. “Xiumin, any questions before I can head back home?” He sounded like an awful person to be around, but Junhong pursed his lips before quickly asking, “What is it?” 

“Just give the damned thing to Himchan. It was a pain in the ass making it, so tell him to be grateful.” With that, the man disappeared, and Junhong listened to his footsteps echo further and further from the house until they were gone entirely. He shut the front door, sighing as he began to pick at the shipping tape with his fingers without much actual attempt to open the crudely wrapped monstrosity. Himchan’s voice echoed from the office, and Junhong knocked a few times before cracking the door open to peek in. 

“I have to go, Jaehwan, call me again when you have some free time and we can discuss this further,” Himchan requested to the cellphone in his hand before lowering it to press the ‘decline’ button and rising from his office chair. “You’re out of bed.” His voice softened exponentially when regarding Junhong in comparison to how he was talking to Jaehwan, and Junhong felt his body relax at the sound of it. He was comforted by Himchan’s presence, Himchan being a rock for him to cling to and rely on even in the worst of times. 

“Some guy named Xiumin dropped this off for you,” Junhong muttered, holding out the package. Instantly Himchan’s eyes widened with interest and he hurried forward, holding out a hand for Junhong to drip the package into. “This is good,” Himchan simply stated, swiping around his desk to fish in one of the drawers for a knife, slitting the tape and tearing at the paper to reveal a box a little larger than Junhong’s hand. “Uh, what’s good about it?” Junhong simply asked, a little confused as to what could be so important that Himchan would want to open it right away. His master pulled the top off the box and inside was the answer.

It was a white, thick ring of a material that resembled leather but seemed somewhat smoother from what his eyes could tell without actually touching the thing. A broze-colored clasp kept it held together, and Junhong easily noted golden runes carved all over the material, though they were different from the runes he was familiar with, the ones he was told to stay away from. 

“Is that…”

“A collar,” Himchan said softly. “Daehyun argued for something more like a bracelet, but I didn’t want it to be able to take it off as easily.” A collar. Junhong didn’t like the implication, but Himchan wouldn’t feel any guilt in it. To make himself feel better, Junhong figured it looked more like a choker than an actual collar… It didn’t have a ring or anything, no place to attach a leash like a dog’s collar would. It was just a thick choker. He could assume what the runes were for, but he asked anyway, and Himchan lifted the thing into his hands, analyzed each of the markings as if checking for mistakes. 

“A few of them are magic deterrents, a few are magic absorbers. This one-” Himchan pointed to a small golden circle with cross-like etch in the middle. “-is specifically designed to null fire. No matter how powerful it actually is, it won’t be able to use any of its magic as long as it’s wearing this. Once we grab the magica we can use a sealant on this clasp-” Himchan pointed to the bronze hook on the back, unlatching it so that the ring came apart into just a strip of white and gold; Junhong would call it beautiful if he didn’t feel a little guilty for what harm it was going to do. “-and it’ll stay on no matter how much it’s tugged on. It’s a genius invention, to be honest. Xiumin is a grouch, but he’s got his head on straight…”

“Is Daehyun okay with this?” Junhong didn’t know why he asked. Of course Daehyun wasn’t, but the question was more asking if Daehyun would tolerate such a thing being done to Youngjae. Himchan fell quiet, still rimming the material in his hands, reading each of the runes that Junhong couldn’t begin to comprehend before sighing and dropping the collar… choker… thing back into the box. “You know the answer to that already. But he shouldn’t have let himself get so attached to such a human anyway, he knows that well. The magica is dangerous, it nearly killed you, Junhong.” Yes, Youngjae definitely did nearly kill him. He shivered at the memory of how awful it felt to have the skin and muscle searing from his bones, of the days of pain after as his body fought to regenerate such a vivid, disgusting wound. He wanted to hate the magica for it, but somehow pity overwhelmed his anger. Perhaps seeing Daehyun’s eyes look so dull, knowing that his elder brother wasn’t hunting anymore despite how his stomach growled and the blood bags in the fridge weren’t nearly as appetizing, was what caused it. He couldn’t help but feel bad for Daehyun. What would he have done if Daseot was in such a situation…? The thought pained him. 

“The other two hunters, what will you do once we catch the magica?” Junhong asked, trying to sound casual but honestly fearing for Daseot’s life. They’d talked more since Junhong had finally decided to message him again, but it was difficult. Knowing what was going to happen to Daseot’s family, knowing that Daseot’s life was in danger… How could he feel guiltless in talking to him? 

“We should probably kill them,” Himchan murmured, and Junhong’s heart dropped. “But it’s not necessary so long as they stay out of the way. They’re still a threat without the magica, but not nearly as strong of one. Would you feel better if we left them alive?” Junhong bowed his head. Himchan knew he was weak like this, but it was difficult hearing it out loud. “Yes,” he still answered honestly. “They’re just fighting to stay alive. As long as they’re not a threat, I don’t want to kill them.” 

“Then we won’t,” Himchan assured, and Junhong almost sighed with relief before reminding himself that Himchan would notice such an action. “Unless they become an issue, we’ll let them be.” 

Maybe this was okay then. Junhong felt guilty for Daehyun, but Youngjae being captured didn’t really affect him. As long as Daseot was okay, Junhong was somewhat fine with the future ahead. Maybe he could even forgive himself for that night two years ago, pretend like another vampire had jumped his friend and forget the taste of the hunter’s blood between his lips. 

“What’s your plan? To capture the magica? Daehyun’s been visiting him a lot lately.”

“You kids… It’s just a human you know, you really don’t need to be referring to it as a ‘him.’ It’ll just get you attached, which is dangerous.” Himchan sighed, rubbing his eyes like he was already exhausted, falling back into his office chair and motioning for Junhong to sit in the armchair to his side. “The plan is, Daehyun will meet with the magica tonight. He’ll meet with it one more time after tonight, and we’ll grab it then. It’ll be in the next two weeks, since Jaehwan wants us to have it in our possession by the time he returns from his trip. Daehyun suggested that it be sooner so that he has time to calm it down before we give it to Jaehwan, but I’m leaving it up to him to decide exactly when.” 

Junhong nodded gently and Himchan sighed again, low and heavy, flipping through some papers on his desk before gently lifting them and placing them aside, revealing the smooth hardwood underneath, the box with the choker being center stage in the middle of the desk. “This is a mess, all of it, but it’ll be smoothed out eventually. If Daehyun does decide we should do this sooner than later, we’ll have to watch the magica until Jaehwan gets back. It’ll probably be loud.” 

“Loud is okay,” Junhong assured. “I can sleep through Daehyun, I don’t think-”

“Junhong, you and Daehyun are… perhaps too sympathetic,” Himchan interrupted, and Junhong didn’t see where he was going with it even after Himchan paused. Finally his master continued, honestly stating, “The magica is going to be angry and it’s going to be afraid.”

Oh. Loud. Screaming, crying, terrified loud, not just… loud. Junhong felt his heart knot a little, remembering the face of the human that had burned him. He’d done it to protect his family, and Junhong could admit to being anxious as to how he’d react upon being captured by the same vampires he fought for a living. He wouldn’t be as bothered with it if Youngjae was sent to Jaehwan right away; That way he could just forget what was happening, pretend like no one was hurting and move on to comfort Daseot through it. But if he had to hear what was going on.. Maybe it was a little selfish, but he didn’t want to have to experience the guilt first hand. 

“Will Daehyun be okay through that?” Junhong asked quietly. He knew he himself might not, but he wouldn’t mention that. “No, he won’t,” Himchan softly responded. “Which is why we set the crate up in Daehyun’s room. I trust him not to let the magica free, he wouldn’t disobey me so seriously in that way. It’ll be hard on him, so I figure we should-”

A knock on the door, and Junhong stood after a pause to open it so that Daehyun could walk in. He looked exhausted, weary, and his voice was uncomfortably soft in comparison to how it normally boosted through a room. “Let’s do it tomorrow night,” he mumbled. “The longer I can spend calming him down before Jaehwan sees him, the better.” 

Himchan’s voice softened even further as he gently pushed the box across the desk, Daehyun staring down at its contents with hints of disgust and misery in his gaze. “I’m sorry that you have to do this Daehyun. I know that it hurts you.” 

“It’s fucking killing me, Himchan,” the younger whispered, and Junhong wished that he could comfort Daehyun somehow but knew that he couldn’t. “I can’t… He’s going to hate me, but I can get over that, but Jaehwan is going to ruin him…”

“We’ll do what we can to make sure..” Himchan paused, before breaking his own rule. “To make sure that he’s in proper conditions. I’ll be sure to tell Jaehwan that you’ll need to visit him often as well. If we really do do this tomorrow, you’ll have two weeks to help him settle before we transfer him over to the feeder house.” 

Daehyun choked on his breath, and Junhong didn’t realize that he was about to start crying until he turned away to hide it. “Let’s get it over with,” Daehyun mumbled, and Himchan nodded softly, glancing to Junhong and smiling with a broken, worried smile. 

“Let’s get it over with.” 


	20. Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update! Please please read the previous chapter if you haven't.

“Jae.” 

The sun filtered through his eyelids, and he wished he could pull his blankets further up to cover them without the fabric slipping up past his feet. 

“Yoo Youngjae.”

“Go away…” he mumbled without even thinking about the words. He was so warm, there was no way Yongguk was dragging him out of bed this fucking early in the morning. The sun was too bright, too obnoxious. He wanted to be asleep again, dreaming of absolutely nothing like he enjoyed.

“Youngjae, get the fuck out of this bed,” Yongguk sighed, and Youngjae whimpered as his arms were grabbed and he was tugged away from the safety of his blankets. “You’re what, twenty? When are you going to wake yourself up on your own?” 

“When I’m fifty something and I can’t rely on your old ass to do it for me,” he murmured, voice groggy and rough. “What time is it..?”

“It’s nine in the morning. You, me, and Jongup are going to do some shopping. We’re low on bandages and painkillers and you need summer clothes since your entire closet is jackets.” 

“And why can’t we go later?” Even now he probably couldn’t go back to sleep if he wanted to, finally giving in and letting his eyes open, immediately regretting it when the sunlight pierced straight into them. “Stores get busy around one. Do you really want kids asking you to do fire tricks this time?” Convinced through and through, Youngjae crawled up to his feet and groaned at the feeling of his muscles stretching to hold him upright. He felt warm even without his blanket on him, and he held his hand up to his forehead. The fever was mild, but he’d need to watch it for a couple of days, maybe take some Vitamin C supplements to dull it down. Yongguk raised a brow with concern and Youngjae sighed, pacing to the closet to grab one of his admittedly long sleeved shirts. “It’s not bad, don’t worry,” he assured, and Yongguk nodded. “Let me know if you need something for it, better to treat that sort of thing sooner than later.” 

“Right.”

The large department store was quiet in the early morning, thank goodness. Most of the customers present were in the food court rushing through quick meetings or hurrying to quietly buy necessities. They were the latter, and Youngjae wished he didn’t have to wear a face mask when it was getting to be so hot outside, his mild fever definitely not assisting him in that. He didn’t necessarily have to wear a mask anyway, but while Jongup just played mute to anyone that walked up to him, Youngjae could not. They’d gained themselves fame when the story of their hotel fight hit the news, and it was difficult for any one of them to leave the house without someone rushing up and asking how they really fought vampires without dying. Yongguk didn’t mind it, he worked well with the public, but Youngjae wasn’t so sociable. But as Yongguk had assured, everyone at the moment seemed more busy with their own devices rather than interested in who was around them, and they got through fine. 

Youngjae flinched in surprise as something was pressed into his chest, and he had to blink to become aware of Jongup standing right in front of him. He glanced down and found a shirt, taking it from Jongup’s hand and holding it up. It was just a plain black t-shirt, but the sleeves fell to his elbows, a little slit in each one to show the upper part of his arm. It was simple but something that Jongup would consider stylish. Red letters on the front read ‘Nocturnal’. 

Youngjae bit his lip but Jongup started to sign something, slowly so that Youngjae could understand it since he was still working on his sign language skills. It took two tries before he could figure out what he was saying. ‘It would look good on you.’ The magica sighed. He figured it wasn’t as bad as the intricate stuff Yongguk had been throwing at him, and since he really just wanted to go home, he accepted. It would be nice to have some shorter sleeved shirts anyway with how warm it was getting outside. Plus, after being here an hour, it was going to start getting busy soon. 

They bought the shirt amongst some other things, medical supplies and a few more articles of clothing filling plastic bags as they made their way back to the car. “We can stop and get food as well,” Yongguk assured, seeming determined to make it a ‘family day’ like he did every so often when he felt like they weren’t talking as much as they could be. “Can we go home after?” Youngjae asked rather pitifully. He wasn’t feeling so well and the heat of the sun on his head was getting unbearable. Maybe he would dye his hair any color other than black so that it wouldn’t absorb the heat as much. It was too much effort. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

Himchan stared at the ceiling for a long time before actually bringing himself out of bed. It was a warm day, he could tell even from inside the house, and he made his way to the living room to turn down the air conditioning. He didn’t expect to see Daehyun awake and sitting on the couch when he was normally dead asleep around this time. It was probably five in the afternoon if he could guess correctly and no one usually woke up until at least eight or nine when the sun was falling or completely settled. The beep of the thermostat dropping had Daehyun glancing over his shoulder, though surely he’d already heard Himchan’s door creak and his footsteps as he approached. 

“It’s tonight,” he simply said. Himchan smiled gently, heading to the open space of the kitchen to swing the fridge open, digging in for two of the fresher blood bags and making note to throw the clumpier ones away. “It is,” he agreed, closing the fridge and grabbing two straws from the basin on the counter before making his way to join Daehyun on the couch. “Are you ready?”

“I don’t know,” the blonde replied weakly. “I really don’t.” 

Himchan reached up to stroke Daehyun’s hair like he often did, but the younger pulled away. He did accept the blood bag that Himchan handed him, so that was something. Popping the straw through the plastic and taking slow sips, Daehyun stared down at the thick rug beneath Himchan’s feet as if it were something foreign. Himchan decided to fill in. 

“I got some human food for it… him. Some chicken, some fruit. I’ll leave it to you to keep him fed since I doubt he’d accept it from anyone else.”

“He’s stubborn,” Daehyun whispered. “He won’t accept it from me either.” Himchan wasn’t sure how to help, and slowly the stress of Daehyun’s mind began to press on his own as well. “Do you think he’d prefer to be glamoured?” he asked and Daehyun shot him a glare. “I’m not going to betray his trust and then glamour him into doing things. Unless he’s starving, he doesn’t have to eat.” 

“Right,” Himchan replied softly, but his chest felt tight for Daehyun’s sake. He never wanted this sort of thing, this sort of pain, for his child. He almost wanted to request one of Jaehwan’s other sons to watch the magica instead so that Daehyun wouldn’t be plagued with the sight of the human in so much turmoil. But that would be a dangerous thing to suggest, so Himchan put it off. “You remember our plan?”

“I remember it,” Daehyun softly promised, but he seemed too out of it to really hold a conversation. Himchan stood from the couch. “Good. You remembered to contact him?”

“There’s a note on his window. He’ll see it.” 

“Good,” Himchan sighed. “Then we’ll get this over with quickly.”

Daehyun did not respond. He sat on the couch, sipping barely at the bag, staring at the rug, and Himchan wondered how he’d let his child fall so far that he didn’t even seem like himself anymore. 

\------------------------------------------------

The moonlight was rather dim tonight, and Youngjae swallowed down an ibuprofen tablet for the headache that was starting to build up. It would be a small fever, not one to be concerned with. The headaches always came at the end of the worst of it, and the worst of it had just been a little sweating. He was rather relieved that he wouldn’t have to deal with being sick again for at least another few weeks. The fevers came and went at different severities, he was always worried for the next one in case it was more damaging than others. But tonight would be calm. He could play a game or two, maybe see if Yongguk is still awake to have a conversation. He’d missed the elder lately, not seeing much of him since he often ran up to the VED to confirm past reports and to ask about new missions. Tomorrow he’d for sure follow Yongguk there, follow him around. He spent some time with him and Jongup today, that had been nice. 

His socked feet padded on the wooden floors, and the knock on Yongguk’s door resounded through the house. It took long enough for a response that he almost assumed that Yongguk was asleep, but the door was swinging open and the man honestly looked exhausted. 

“Guk, you probably should go to bed,” Youngjae muttered, glancing down to note the book half-hanging from Yongguk’s hand. It was one he’d probably read fifty times and had forced Youngjae and Jongup to read at least twice. It was about a man struggling with depression, the entire book was, and while Youngjae admittedly found it to be rather boring, Yongguk loved to psychoanalyze. “I only have a chapter left anyway. What’s up?” Yongguk asked, and Youngjae shrugged. “Nothing’s really up, I just wanted to see how you were doing I guess. You’ve been busy and all.” 

Yongguk’s smile was the sun at this. Youngjae often considered how his family was doing but never really checked in or made an effort to ask, so this was probably something rare and exciting for him. He almost felt bad at how happy Yongguk was, stepping aside and letting Youngjae enter his room. It smelled like Yongguk in here, like mahogany and slate, and Youngjae sighed as he fell back onto Yongguk’s cushy queen-sized bed. The elder’s laugh echoed slightly in the otherwise rather empty room, his voice tinged with amusement. “Oh, so you were just playing me so you could get to lay on my bed?”

“As always,” Youngjae mumbled through the pillows before scooting over so that Yongguk could lay beside him. “We should invest in softer beds rather than clothes,” he mumbled, and Yongguk’s chuckle sounded again, a beautiful and rare noise that Youngjae found much more comforting than other things. “Hell no, I can’t even get you out of bed now. How would I stand a chance if your bed wasn’t anything softer than a rock?” 

Youngjae groaned and attempted to push Yongguk off the bed, but the man was practically all muscle and didn’t budge. “Or you could let me sleep like any good human being would.” 

“Nah,” Yongguk grinned, all gum and teeth, and Youngjae could admit to feeling safer here than usual. “Are you sure there’s nothing you wanted to talk about?” 

Oh, there was a lot. The fact that he was regularly meeting up with a vampire was something he’d struggled to not admit to Yongguk from time to time. The fact that he’d kissed said vampire was another thing entirely. Yongguk would kill him. Not literally, but he’d definitely get a scolding of a lifetime, and he wasn’t up to receive such anger from someone he valued so closely. It didn’t matter anymore. It wasn’t like he’d ever see Daehyun again. It shouldn’t be something that disappointed him like it was, but he couldn’t help that that stupid vampire tricked him into caring. 

“No, there’s nothing,” he responded with a shrug. “Just wanted to see how you’re doing. Has the director said anything about the cease in these attacks?” Yongguk sighed, shaking his head slowly. “Nothing. He says it’s a pleasant change, but not one we should rely on. It’s not like vampires have stopped attacking other people, it’s just us. We need to figure out why in case they’re planning something dangerous. Quiet is nice, but we can’t pretend like it’s not happening for a reason.” 

Youngjae nodded, pulling the pillow from under his head and handing it to Yongguk, who was having trouble adjusting his neck when he was used to sleeping with two pillows instead of one. The elder hummed in gratitude, relaxing into the pillows once he’d situated them properly, his eyes already fluttering as if they were prepared to close the moment he got comfortable enough.   
Youngjae rolled to the side until he was catching himself from falling off the bed, stretching his arms outward and releasing a soft groan of relief as his back popped. “I’ll let you sleep. You look like death.” Yongguk’s chuckle was low and raspy. “Thanks, Jae. I appreciate that.” 

Jongup was asleep when he entered their shared bedroom, curled up with his knees to his chest and a pillow between his arms, but Youngjae wasn’t tired enough to follow suit. As much as he’d argued to stay asleep that morning, he couldn’t bring it in him to try laying down and resting now. It was by coincidence that he decided to glance out the window at the rather dim moonlight and noticed the piece of paper stuck to the outside with tape. 

Daehyun. 

Youngjae hurried across the room, kicking off his shoes as he went so that the noise of his steps wouldn’t wake Jongup, slipping open the window with practiced ease and pulling the note in. He was excited for it and he honestly wished that he wasn’t. He shouldn’t care this much, but maybe it was that kiss that had put so much weight on him, so much influence. Daehyun’s swooping handwriting was something that he was relieved to see again, and he scanned over the night.

“We can meet up one last time. I’m at the park, I’ll wait here for you.” 

One last time. One last time was fine by him. He could get over these feelings that shouldn’t exist, he could ask about why Daehyun had kissed him and move on from there. It was probably best if he never saw Daehyun again anyway. A vampire and a human had no place interacting like they had been. Just one more time was enough. 

He sat down on the floor to slip his shoes back on, grabbing the can of spray from his bedside table’s drawer and shaking it. It was almost empty, but that was fine. It wasn’t like he’d need it after tonight anyway. He paused, glancing to the bed where the plastic bag of clothes they’d bought for him rested. He’d been wearing the same shirt for the past three days. Maybe he should change. The ‘nocturnal’ shirt fit well and the material was smooth and comfortable over his skin. He wasn’t so fond of the wide collar of it, how his neck was so exposed, but he doubted Daehyun would bite him now if he hadn’t tried before. Maybe he shouldn’t be so trusting, but it was too warm tonight for a scarf and they hadn’t been attacked by any vampires in over a week now. It was reasonable enough, and he made his way to the door. 

The sound of Jongup’s bed creaking stopped him in his tracks, and when he turned he noted with a drop of his heart that the younger had sat up and was now staring at him. Jongup’s hands lifted up and he signed a quick message out. 

“Don’t go tonight.” 

Did Jongup know that he was sneaking out so often? He’d been caught once by the younger, he knew from the text he’d received that night requesting that he come home quickly. Youngjae smiled softly, whispering, “I’ll be back soon. I just need to confirm something. Give me an hour and I won’t leave anymore.” Jongup seemed to be in conflict before sighing and signing back, “Okay. One hour.” 

With that, Youngjae made his way out of the room, pausing in the living room to look back at the empty house. Normally it felt rather lonely, staring at the empty, dark room, but after seeing both Yongguk and Jongup for so much time today he didn’t quite get the same vibe as usual. It was nice. He could deal with not seeing Daehyun anymore. The loneliness from before was self inflicted, he probably just needed to spend more time with his family that didn’t consist of eating and hunting. 

The night was, as expected, warm. Stuffy enough that he wanted to go back inside. He’d talk with Daehyun one last time, close off ties, then head home to try and sleep. Life would be back to normal, hunting with no restraint. Everything would settle. The grass tickled his ankles as it always did, and the familiarity brought him back to focus. He could see Daehyun sitting on the bench again, not on the swings, and was almost happy about it, as happy about it as he’d let himself be anyway. The blonde glanced up even though Youngjae was a good distance away, and he had to remember that vampires had way better hearing than humans, that Daehyun was a vampire at all. But that was something he shouldn’t forget, and he tried to put himself on guard again like he used to be. 

“Jae,” the vampire cooed as he approached, and Youngjae swallowed down a blush at the nickname. “Don’t call me that,” he murmured and Daehyun laughed, but something felt off. His smile didn’t reach his eyes, and Youngjae frowned as he sat next to him, staring the vampire down for a long time to try and distinguish what’s wrong. Was he upset that they wouldn’t be meeting anymore? Daehyun did say that he cared about Youngjae. 

“I think its a cute name for a cute person, don’t you?” 

“You’re dumb,” Youngjae spit, but his heart was racing. Why did he care? When did it get this way? He hated vampires, the vampires that targeted him specifically, so when did Daehyun become any different from the rest of his kind? “Maybe,” Daehyun responded with a fragile smile, his eyes softening as he watched Youngjae watch him, and the human dug into his pocket and tossed Daehyun the can of bug spray. 

“This again? You still think I’m worth setting on fire?” Daehyun asked, amusement and no actual offense laced into his tone. “If you try to bite me, yeah. I don’t have a ‘wad of fabric’ in the way this time, so it’s better safe than sorry.” The blonde shrugged, popping off the lid and, as usual, spraying himself down. The can hissed as it emptied out, and Daehyun handed him back the empty container. Youngjae felt a warmth in his chest when their hands brushed, but he held it down. Instead, he asked the question that had been on his mind all day. 

“Why did you kiss me?” 

“Cause your lips looked soft,” Daehyun replied without skipping a beat. “And you said you’d burn me, so I wanted to test it.” Youngjae wished his cheeks didn’t heat up, but there they went, and Daehyun beamed at the sight of it before his smile faded away again. Youngjae had never truly seen him seem sad before, but his eyes were cast down, and he wondered what he should say to counter it, if he should say anything at all. Daehyun spoke up again, and his smile returned to his face, but it wasn’t quite as real as it usually was. “Why didn’t you burn me?” 

Youngjae quickly whipped his eyes away from Daehyun, casting them down to the dirt and grass beneath his feet. His heart was pounding, he hoped that Daehyun couldn’t hear it. “Because I was startled. You didn’t give me much notice, asshole.” Daehyun laughed before the laugh faded into a sigh and the sigh faded into a frown. “I probably should go soon. I wanted to see you here again. This park is kind of comforting isn’t it? It’s nice, to be free like this.” Youngjae tilted his head, asking slowly, “I guess so, but it’s kind of a weird thing to notice just now.” 

Daehyun shrugged, huffing as he leaned his head back to rest on the back of the bench, staring up at the stars like he often did. “I guess I’m just feeling kind of sentimental tonight. Ignore it.” He then stood, stretching his back, though his gaze never left the sky. “Youngjae… I’m a vampire.” 

“Yeah, you sure as hell are,” Youngjae mumbled back in response. Daehyun was acting kind of weird, but he was probably just being pitiful that it was their last meeting. Youngjae didn’t really care that much. It sucked just a little, but it was for the best. Unlike Daehyun, he had consequences to face if he got caught doing this, had Yongguk who would be disappointed with him. He couldn’t handle that. 

“I just figured you must’ve forgotten, given that you’ve been so relaxed this whole time.” Immediately, Youngjae felt his body tense, as if it had only just realized what Daehyun was despite how his mind knew the whole time. Daehyun didn’t smile this time, watching him before sighing. “It’s probably time, right?” Youngjae nodded, standing slowly. They’d only been sitting here for about fifteen minutes, but he’d gotten his answer, no matter how stupid and Daehyun-like it was. He wondered why he felt frozen in place, frozen in space, and it didn’t quite feel like time to say goodbye but here they were. Daehyun pulled him into his arms and he let it happen, letting his eyes fall shut but not letting his arms move to hug the vampire back. He leaned his forehead against Daehyun’s chest despite knowing that he was getting too close. What did it matter? It was the last time he’d see him, he could do this much without regret. Daehyun held him tight, maybe too tight for comfort, pressing his body against the vampire’s chest as if Daehyun was scared to let go. And then he whispered something, low and weak, his voice trembling just barely enough to hear.

“Himchan.” 

Youngjae’s eyes flickered open in confusion, and that’s when it happened. Something grabbed him from behind, and his first instinct was to ignite, but Daehyun was still holding him and if he did that… the spray… Daehyun would light up instantly. The hesitation was just enough, and something was wrapped around his neck and yanked on, jerking him back hard enough for him to gag but Daehyun wasn’t letting go, why wasn’t Daehyun moving…?! 

He brought his hands up to his throat and felt leather, something was moving at the back of his neck before the hands there pulled away. It hit instantly. A wave of nausea pulsed through him, the exhaustion coming next, and he couldn’t stop his legs from giving out as he collapsed out of Daehyun’s arms and onto the grass. He dry heaved, curling into himself as a soreness echoed through his entire body. A figure that wasn’t Daehyun stood above him and without hesitation Youngjae grabbed for his ankle and made to ignite… except his fire didn’t come out. It was the first time in his life that his body didn’t listen to him. Creating fire was like any other motion, like commanding his arms to move or trying to breathe. Why wasn’t it working?

“I’m proud of you, Daehyun.” The man said, and Youngjae’s hand weakened around his ankle until it was limp over the man’s shined formal shoes. Youngjae’s eyelids felt heavy, but he glanced to Daehyun pitifully, his body trembling as he knew what was happening but couldn’t accept it, that Daehyun would do this to him, whatever the hell this was. He lifted his hand slowly to his throat and found that the fabric he’d grabbed at was now wrapped around it. It was probably the source of this strain, of his fire going away, if he could just get it off… 

When he tugged on it, the unfamiliar man stepped onto his arm, and his hand fell limp into the grass with the weight. He felt desperate tears forming, trying to crawl if he couldn’t run, if he couldn’t fight, trying to crawl away but unable to gather enough strength in his arms or legs to do so. What was happening..?! He remembered the vampire who’d tried to take him, remembered Daehyun protecting him then, so why…?

Daehyun was staring at him, weak and saddened, and Youngjae felt a flare of fear and anger rile up at his expression, like he was guilty. He set him up. All of this, the talking, the meetings, even the kiss. It was all an act. The man knelt down, his face stone cold as he glared into Youngjae’s eyes, and Youngjae was experienced enough with glamour to be able to tell when it was happening to him. 

“Daehyun, do you want to carry him?” the man asked without looking away. Youngjae already felt sick and frail, it didn’t help that the glamour had his body frozen entirely, hazy as if he was under the pressure of ten blankets. “I can do it,” Daehyun responded and his voice was rough as if he might start crying. Fuck him, fuck him and his acting for this. When Daehyun picked him up Youngjae shoved away, fighting the glamour, and Daehyun seemed so startled by the action that he dropped him, the magica whimpering as his sore body slammed against the grass. The other vampire huffed, grabbing him by the fabric wrapped around his neck and dragging him upward, Youngjae feeling his airway cutting off suddenly and gasping once Daehyun took him into his arms again. Daehyun held him closely like he wasn’t kidnapping him, a hand in his hair stroking through the strands in a way that would be comforting in any other situation. Daehyun looked down, stared deeply into Youngjae’s eyes. He looked so miserable, it was all an act, it was all a fucking act. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered, but Youngjae didn’t have a chance to spit at him, to think up a crude, furious remark, because the glamour came much stronger this time, lulling him into a sleep-like daze. All he could comprehend was the wind on his face, the pain in his body, and the warmth of Daehyun’s embrace. And then the world faded to black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this chapter was okay. I didn't proof read it because I wanted to be able to post it tonight as a double update. Thank you for reading and leaving such motivating and supportive comments. <3 It's really helpful for me.


	21. Mourning

The light filtered in through the window, shining directly into Jongup’s eyes like it did every morning. They’d really have to invest in curtains at some point, but everytime they went to the store they forgot about minor inconveniences like sunlight in exchange for more urgent things like supplies or food. He rolled over to muffle the light with his pillow but even kicking off his blankets didn’t dismiss the warmth beaming down on him. Sighing in defeat as he did every morning, he sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, shaking out his bedhead. 

Immediately, he noticed that Youngjae’s bed was empty, and his heart dropped. He was safe right..? He’d made it back in one piece every other night anyway. But Youngjae wasn’t the type to wake up early, unless of course he’d been up all night. That was an option too. Maybe he was in the living room, or in the kitchen eating something. He was probably okay. Youngjae was probably okay. But Jongup still hurried out to check.

The living room was barren, the kitchen light was off, and his heart began to race as he pressed his finger to his pulsepoint tattoo and felt Youngjae’s heartbeat racing. He was in high stress. He was in danger. It was daylight, so it wasn’t like he was outside in a fight. He’d have to be held up somewhere, which left only one answer as to where he was. 

Jongup trembled, freezing in place in the middle of the living room, air catching in his throat and choking him as his stomach did somersaults. It couldn’t be true. He’d just seen Youngjae last night, had spent the day shopping with him. Nothing had been wrong. They’d assumed that the threats were nulling away, that if vampires weren’t attacking, Youngjae wouldn’t be attacked either. This couldn’t be, it really, really couldn’t be true..!

He swallowed down his fear and rushed to Yongguk’s room, banging on the door before throwing it open and hurrying to where Yongguk was groggily sitting up, the elder’s voice rough as he muttered, “Uppie…? What’s going on…?” Jongup gasped for breath and his hands moved so fast that Yongguk had to tell him to slow down twice before the message came across. Youngjae was gone. Yongguk swung his legs over the side of the bed and was standing in a second, eyes dark. “Tell me everything.” 

Jongup explained it all, typing so that it would be more comprehensible. Youngjae had been going out for a few nights over the course of the past two months to meet with the vampire that protected him so often in the past. He’d left last night, and promised Jongup he’d be back within an hour. Yongguk growled upon hearing this, and Jongup shrunk in his seat as the elder’s voice raised to a yell. “Why the hell haven’t either of you told me any of this?! Youngjae’s been throwing himself into danger this whole time! You know that they were threatening him, Jongup, so why the fuck would you just let him waltz out?!” Jongup flinched, as Yongguk had never once raised his voice against him, but it was reasonable, he was right to be angry. Jongup felt it, the guilt, the fear, as he realized that he shouldn’t have let Youngjae leave even the first time, that both he and Youngjae were responsible for this, given their ignorance. He lifted his hands to sign but they were trembling too hard, and Yongguk sighed roughly, taking deep, slow breaths to calm down. “Forget it. It’s too late now. We need to find where he is. We’re leaving tonight to find the nearest vampire and force it to tell us.” It was a stupid plan, it was an impulsive plan. Jongup thoroughly agreed with it. There was no other option. Youngjae was in immediate danger and Jongup hadn’t stopped it from becoming reality. 

They had to do something. They had to find him fast.

 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------

The world was heavy. Somehow, that was a reasonable conclusion. It felt like gravity had doubled over his body, and he felt the emptiness of his stomach still threatening to upheave. The floor he laid on was cold and hard, but he didn’t have the strength to open his eyes. He didn’t have to think hard to remember what had happened. Daehyun had betrayed him. He’d been taken by the only vampire he’d dared to trust.

He barely opened his eyes, just enough to make out a fuzzy image of where he was. There were bars in between him and the rest of the room, which was well lived in, clothes on the floor, a queen-sized bed with a scrunched up comforter pushed to the edge of it. But the bars were the part he focused on. Youngjae slowly sat up, the top of his head just an inch from the ceiling above him, made also of the same metal that was under him, that was all around him. A crate…? He could get out of this easily if he so wanted to. Oh, but wait. His fire. He swallowed and his hands trembled as he tried to produce flames within his palms and came up with nothing. The thing around his neck… He reached up and yanked, but didn’t break free. He pulled again and again, but the material was thick. He’d have to cut it, but with what? He reached down but the knife he always kept in his pocket was no longer there, his shoes and all of his weapons were missing, his phone and wallet gone as well. 

He was trapped, and the realization hit harder every second that he stared down at his flameless hands. His body began to shake, his throat tightened until it was closed, and he crawled forward to press on the bars but they didn’t budge in the slightest. He hit them and it only hurt his knuckles, but that didn’t stop it from hitting them again and again. What did stop him was the creak of a door, and the man that had been with Daehyun was entering, approaching, gazing down at him. Youngjae hated how the cage had him on his knees, he felt so inferior to this vampire, so helpless, and the situation was terrifying in a way that he’d never been terrified before. 

“Magica,” the vampire stated calmly, and Youngjae scuffled up the darkest glare he could muster, shoving his fear down for later when the room was empty again. He absolutely would find a way out. He wouldn’t let them bite him, he’d fight tooth and nail. He wouldn’t let them touch him. He’d kill Daehyun the second he got the opportunity and he’d get the hell out of here. 

“Let me out,” Youngjae growled to the vampire, his tone demanding and impatient. “I’ll kill you if you don’t.” The vampire scoffed. “You humans are so arrogant. I could break your neck before you could blink, you realize that right? What could you do to me? You can’t even make a spark.” The words pierced into Youngjae’s chest, and he lowered his glare to the floor, not wanting to look at the vampire that had power over him right now. He had to get out, there was no other option. He had to go back to Yongguk and Jongup, tell them that he was safe. They were probably worried right now, they were probably angry. He had to see them again. 

“Anyway, I’m here to welcome you to my home and to give you a rundown of the rules,” the vampire coldly stated, moving to sit on the bed that was directly across from the cage Youngjae was trapped in, big enough for a large dog but rather small for a person. “My name is Kim Himchan. You’ll refer to me as something respectful, whatever it is is up to you, I don’t really care. Your master will be Daehyun until Jaehwan returns to take you to your permanent home.” The word ‘permanent’ sent a throb through his chest, and Youngjae interrupted, “You can’t keep me here. I’ll get out and I’ll kill all of you when I do. I’m not going to be your fucking blood bag, so forget it.” He didn’t know why he was talking back, when it would only put him in more danger. But it was all he could think to do to counter the fear he felt. Aggression was always his go-to, and it absolutely had to be if he was going to escape. 

But Himchan didn’t seem fazed. “Anyway,” he continued as if Youngjae hadn’t said a thing, “Here are the rules. You’ll be quiet, for one. I don’t want to have to hear your whining over the next few days. Second, you’ll be respectful. If you expect to eat or piss or go through this painlessly, you’ll do what you’re told and address us properly. Third, neither Daehyun or Junhong, who you so horribly injured, are allowed to drink from you.” It didn’t make sense, why Himchan would tell him that, but the elder continued. “But I will. It’s training, per se, since you’ll be a feeder in a few weeks.” 

Feeder. A feeder. It was a term they’d heard scarcely on the news. Feeders were rarely found, slaves to vampires, necks torn apart and eyes dull and hopeless. He couldn’t be one of those, it wasn’t something he’d considered, wasn’t something he’d ever thought would happen to him of all people. “You’re crazy,” Youngjae muttered, and Himchan cocked an eyebrow. “Continuing on,” he responded firmly, “Behave and you’ll eat. If you’re irritating enough we can easily send you to somewhere far less comfortable than here. Appreciate that we’re giving you a period of time to adjust to your new life. Most humans aren’t so lucky.” And with that, the man turned to walk out, slamming the door loudly behind him. 

And Youngjae began to tremble again. The rules, the vampire’s cold impression, it was all another weight over the fact that he was trapped here. He’d gotten himself into this mess, allowing Daehyun to trick him like that. He’d done this to himself and now he was without options. Yongguk and Jongup wouldn’t know where he was, wouldn’t know where to look if even he didn’t know where he was. There was no tracker on him or anything that could notify them of what was going on. He could die and they wouldn’t know.

He could die. He could be bitten and bleed out, he could starve. He could die without speaking to Yongguk again, without seeing Jongup, without ever returning home or finding the freedom he’d taken advantage of all of these years. He trembled again, but this time his eyes were watering, and he began to hit at the bars again, yelling out in frustration as they wouldn’t give, as no matter hard he hit they wouldn’t fucking give! The lock was a key-and-combination lock, the door rattled but didn’t open. He truly was stuck here in a fucking dog cage in the home of vampires because he’d decided that a kiss was enough to trust one of these scum, that Daehyun was more than the monster that he was. 

The door to the room opened again, and speak of the fucking devil, there he was. Blonde hair, ruby eyes dripping with apology, and Daehyun was beautiful in all that he was evil. Youngjae sent him the worst glare he could muster, spitting out, “Are you fucking happy now? Condemning me to this? You’re the scum of hell, get the fuck out.” Daehyun smiled that stupid smile, weak and sorry and everything Youngjae didn’t want to deal with right now. “It is my room, I don’t think you should be telling me to leave.” 

“Then let me out, I want to be as far away from you as possible,” Youngjae growled shakily, falling back from his kneel and pulling his knees to his chest, feeling so tight in such a small space, too confined. His body still felt heavy and weak, he still felt nauseous and it was only boosted by his empty stomach. Daehyun sighed, before holding out a package of foil, unwrapping it and pulling out a strawberry poptart. “I figured you’d be hungry by now,” he said, making an obvious effort to ignore Youngjae’s plead. “You’ve been asleep all night and most of the day, so. Himchan said the runes would wear you down as well, so I figured you should eat…”

“Fuck off,” Youngjae muttered, wishing his eyes weren’t damp, wishing he wasn’t shivering as if he was in the arctic, wishing his stomach didn’t growl at the sight of the snack. Daehyun looked so sad and pitiful as he slowly set the poptart down on the bedside table, Youngjae absolutely hated it. It was Daehyun’s fault he was here, it was Daehyun who had played him like this. “I asked you why you kissed me and you made some bullshit answer. You were making sure I’d come back, weren’t you? Making sure I’d come back because you knew I’d fucking ask why you did it.” 

“Yes,” Daehyun quietly answered, his own voice trembling just barely enough to hear. “That’s true.” The honesty hurt even worse, and Youngjae felt a tear slip down his cheek before he could stop it from falling. “You’re worse than a vampire. You’re a liar, you’re a monster. I hate you, so either fuck off or let me out of here. I don’t want to hear you bullshitting me again.” Another tear, then another. He was trapped, he was going to be bitten and torn into and he’d never see his family again. He choked on a sob as the realization only hit harder and harder every second that he thought on it, and Daehyun watched him wide-eyed, as if so guilty and afraid of what was happening, of what he’d done to the human sitting in front of him. 

“Youngjae, I’m…”

“Fuck off!” the human finally screamed, feeling his self-restraint shatter like glass. “Just fuck off already!” Instantly, two figures were entering the room. Youngjae recognized the unfamiliar one as the vampire he’d burned away from Jongup and assumed that this was the Junhong that the vampire named Himchan had been talking about. Himchan pushed Daehyun back gently, marching up to the cage and kicking it, the bars rattling around Youngjae, his heart racing with animalistic, raw panic. “Shut up,” Himchan growled, glaring down at the human as if he were dirt on the bottom of his shoe. “I told you already I expect quiet.”

“I don’t fucking care what you expect,” Youngjae hissed as if he wasn’t crying, as if he wasn’t terrified. “I’ll scream until you let me go. I’ll make hell for all of you fucking monsters.” Himchan’s eyes narrowed, and he finally broke into a sarcastic laugh. “You’ll make hell for us? Then I’ll make hell for you. Daehyun asked that we make the last moments of your peaceful life at least tolerable, but if you want to suffer, so be it.” 

The vampire named Junhong was as wide-eyed as Daehyun, and Youngjae hated how it reminded him of Jongup a little, quiet and observing. Youngjae’s eyes locked with Daehyun’s and he glared, but he couldn’t stop the tears from flowing now that they’d already begun, he couldn’t swallow down the sobs. He wanted to see Yongguk again, he wanted to apologize to Jongup for leaving. He had to get out, he had to escape, but how…? His fire… he needed his fire, but he couldn’t get the damned choker off. It was impossible, and the realization wasn’t something that he could comprehend right away, that there really was no escape from this sudden hell.

“Youngjae…” It was the taller vampire this time, Himchan having stormed out of the room already, the vampire named Junhong stepping past a frozen Daehyun and kneeling just far enough from the cage to be out of reach if Youngjae decided to shove his hand past the bars. He didn’t want to hear his name from its mouth. He didn’t want to be spoken to, he wanted to cry in peace, he wanted to be free. “I… I forgive you for burning me. I understand you were protecting your family.” He swallowed down a cry, hugging his knees tighter to his chest. He felt awful, sick and terrified, he was trapped, he was trapped… 

“And you’re probably scared. I’d be scared too, in your position. Daehyun didn’t want to do this to you, but he didn’t have a choice. We have someone in charge of us who would ruin our family if we didn’t. And family is everything to us, just like it is to you.” 

“Stop,” Youngjae whispered. He didn’t want to hear it, these excuses, this pity. But Junhong continued, his eyes softening as he leaned back on his shoes. Daehyun moved to sit on the bed, bowing his head shamefully, not willing to look at Youngjae anymore. “I want you to feel safe. You haven’t done anything wrong. Himchan thinks all humans are… up for grabs I guess… but me and Daehyun believe differently. Please rely on us.” 

“I can’t, I can’t,” Youngjae mumbled, too scared and exhausted to be angry anymore, shaking his head until he couldn’t stop, until his body was trembling harshly. His next words were directed towards Daehyun, broken and weak. “I trusted you. I fucking trusted you past everything Yongguk’s taught me, and now I’m going to die for it.”

“You won’t die-” Junhong began, but he stopped himself, seeming to realize that it wasn’t something he could guarantee. “We’ll… we’ll make sure to protect you while we can. But Himchan isn’t merciful towards humans, so please try to listen to him for your own sake.” Youngjae hid his face in his arms. He was cold, he was so fucking cold that his body wouldn’t stop shaking, the warmth of his fever diminished entirely, his fire nowhere to be found. He cried quietly, his pride already shattered enough that he could do so even with two vampires staring at him because fuck it, he was going to die anyway, he was going to suffer anyway. Eventually he heard the door close and when he looked up he was alone in the room again. Crying harder until he couldn’t shed anymore tears, he laid down on the cold metal floor and curled up, hugging himself tightly, praying to go back in time to a situation where he’d just listened to Jongup and stayed home. 

\-------------------------------------------------------

“It’s quiet,” Junhong muttered. The tension in the house was past what he was comfortable with, and he wished somewhat that Youngjae hadn’t broken down and said the things he had. Daehyun hadn’t spoken since they’d interacted, sitting on the couch staring at his folded hands, eyes dull and distant. Himchan was pacing the living room, arms crossed tightly over his chest. “For now. He’s exhausted. He’ll cause whatever havoc he can once he gets his energy back. Did you feed him?”

“Daehyun tried to, but I think he was distracted…” 

Good,” Himchan muttered, and Junhong shot his eyes upward to stare at the elder in confusion. “Good..?” Himchan only nodded, sighing as he fell into the armchair adjacent to the couch, seeming fine with having such a harsh conversation knowing that Daehyun was too lost in his mind to be listening. “Remember, Jaehwan allowed it to stay with us to train it. It’ll get hungry enough eventually that it’ll behave. We can’t throw it to Jaehwan with it acting like this.”

“Himchan, Youngjae is terrified. Isn’t it reasonable that he’s acting out?” Junhong asked, trying to keep his cool. The anxiety was radiating from Youngjae, but also from the rest of his family, and if his heart still beat it would be racing. “You scold a dog for biting no matter the situation. This is the same,” Himchan replied, and Junhong was suddenly hit with a wave of something that made him severely uncomfortable. He realized with those words that Himchan right now wasn’t… his Himchan. Wasn’t the master that he was raised by for the past few months. He was an ice cold vampire in this moment, no mercy or sympathy in his veins, and it was scary how dark his eyes seemed. “Himchan, he’s not a dog-”

“Right, he’s a source. Food, money, that’s what he is, Jaehwan’s revenue. Drop it, Junhong.” And he did. He fell silent right beside Daehyun who hadn’t spoken in nearly an hour, before standing and making his way on a whim back to Daehyun’s room, Himchan making no effort of stopping him, Junhong noting the slam of the elder’s office door as he entered. He would’ve assumed Youngjae was asleep if his eyes weren’t open, puffy from the tears. Even if Himchan was heartless, he couldn’t be. Even if Youngjae had hurt him, even if Junhong had no reason to care about him, he couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. Maybe this would make it up to Daseot as well, if he cared for his elder brother as much as he was able to. 

“Youngjae, you’re shivering. Are you cold?” He made sure to say the human’s name as often as he could, because Himchan and Jaehwan absolutely intended to make him forget it. “Fuck off,” was the response, and Junhong sighed, grabbing one of Daehyun’s spare blankets from the closet and swallowing as he approached the cage. He was still somewhat wary of Youngjae, he had to admit, and he reminded himself over and over that the human wasn’t capable of creating fire right now. “I’m going to slip this blanket in. If you do anything, I really will have to call Himchan in here. I’m just trying to help.” Youngjae didn’t respond, so Junhong metaphorically crossed his fingers and unfolded the blanket enough that it could barely squeeze through one of the gaps between the bars, finally dropping into a pile at Youngjae’s feet. The magica made no move to grab it, and Junhong sighed loosely. “I’ll get you some food in a few hours okay? Himchan needs to calm down a little first. As for Daehyun…”

“You vampires are fucking awful,” Youngjae whispered, weak and quiet. “Stop pretending like you care. I’ll get out of here and I’ll kill you too when I get the chance.” The threat held tight in Junhong’s chest, but he tried to chisel it out before it rooted too deeply. Youngjae was afraid. He was just a terrified human trying to comfort himself with threats like this. “I’m going to leave you be,” Junhong softly replied. When he turned back to close the door, he noted that Youngjae had pulled the blanket over himself, was hugging the excess fabric to his chest.

\------------------------------------------------------------------

The sun was falling, and Yongguk slammed the bottle down so hard that it cracked on the edge of the table. He’d failed. He’d sworn on his life to protect his family, this family that he’d taken in as his own, and he’d failed. The alcohol was supposed to calm his nerves, but he only felt them speed up, swirling in directions that he couldn’t comprehend, filling his stomach and lungs with fear and anger and anxiety. His fingers kept returning to the yellow tattoo on his wrist, and he noted that Youngjae’s heartbeat had slowed down, that he must be asleep or unconscious at this very moment. He could at least find comfort in the fact that Youngjae was alive, but how long would that last? And whether he was alive or not didn’t mean he wasn’t suffering. The vampires wanted to make him a feeder…

Yongguk felt his hand slip from the neck of the bottle down to the table, then from the table to hang limply at his side, his eyes heavy, his bottom lip gnawed raw from how he was chewing at it earlier in the day. Youngjae was so damned naive, meeting with a vampire like that, but Yongguk couldn’t find the heart to blame him now that he was in such a horrible situation. He felt guilty for yelling at Jongup as well, the younger having avoided him for the rest of the day because of it, leaving him alone to drink and mourn. 

How the hell were they going to go about finding him…? Their only clue was that those two vampires that had bested them had been looking for Youngjae, that Youngjae was meeting up with one that Jongup had apparently seen guarding him before. How could they use something like that…? If they stayed out, maybe they could find those vampires and follow them back to wherever the hell they were keeping him. Maybe they could torture the information out of them, if they could actually win this time. Yongguk was beyond caution at this point, any option was an option worth trying. He just wanted Youngjae home safe again. He couldn’t bear to imagine a life of fear and fangs for him, he couldn’t stand the idea of Youngjae’s beautiful eyes looking as dead as the feeders that were rescued and shown on television, dull-minded and lost. 

A sob ripped through his throat and he muffled it with another swig, ignoring how the crack on the bottom of the bottle leaked sticky amber that dripped onto his lap, soaking into his pants. Youngjae wouldn’t die, but was this scenario somehow worse…? They had to find him, they absolutely had to, but there was a high chance that they wouldn’t. And if they did, would it be too late…? Would Youngjae be the same Youngjae that he was yesterday at the mall, hands pushed into his pockets and pout thick on his lips? 

He should’ve watched closer. He should’ve realized that Youngjae was sneaking out, he should’ve put an end to it. Maybe he should’ve scolded Youngjae harder back after the orphanage when he’d gone out with his broken wrist and almost got captured then, maybe he should’ve asked Jongup if Youngjae was doing anything suspicious, maybe he should’ve paid more attention for all of this to be reversed. But it was too late for maybes. Youngjae was gone. 

He’d entered the bedroom to find that Jongup had fallen asleep, and Yongguk closed his laptop, staring out the window of the room that the two younger hunters shared, trying not to glance towards Youngjae’s messy, empty bed. Sighing as he headed to his own room, he began to pack up his backpack, loop his belt through his pants and hook his knives and holsters onto it. Tonight he would go out, hunt down those vampires and force them to tell him where Youngjae was, to give him back. He’d go every night until he either dropped dead or Youngjae was found. 

He couldn’t lose his family again. He refused to.


	22. Twenty-Four Hours

The line rang twice before cutting to the distant sound of chattering, and Himchan’s fingers squeezed tighter around his phone as Jaehwan blatantly ignored the fact that he’d answered the call. It was a common thing. Jaehwan rarely took anyone else’s time into consideration, after all, he was the master of many vampires and a top leader in the society. Why should he have to consider anyone? He was the one in power in almost every situation. 

Finally, the voice on the line was much louder, clearer, and Jaehwan sounded irritated. “Himchan, what? I’m in a meeting. It’s not necessarily important, but I still shouldn’t be answering phone calls-”

“We got it.” Himchan didn’t have time to listen to Jaehwan’s rambling. Immediately his master fell silent, two seconds passing before Jaehwan’s voice echoed back over the receiver, as if he was nearly excited but restraining it. “The magica?”

“Yes. The collar Xiumin made worked wonders. It’s harmless, but the magic is still in it’s blood. The scent is the same, I’ll taste the blood when I can to see if it’s still quality.” And Jaehwan laughed. It was so flighty, careless, like a child’s joy shining through. “Yes, yes! Himchan, I’m so glad that you’re my child. You’re extremely competent, I’m proud!” Himchan didn’t feel joy at Jaehwan’s words. He didn’t even feel satisfied. Jaehwan wasn’t someone he was necessarily happy to have as a master, but he would be obedient as he was turned to do. 

“Is it disobedient? I’d assume it’s causing conflict.” 

“It’s loud,” Himchan groaned. “And stubborn. I might just drug it if the bite doesn’t wear it down. It’s been seven hours since it woke up and it hasn’t shut up yet.” Jaehwan hummed, and the careless to it was expected, as if he really didn’t care what Himchan was struggling with. “Unfortunate. We need it to be at least calm when customers come in. Have you considered violence?”

“I don’t think Daehyun would let me hit it. I considered a shock collar of sorts, but I wasn’t sure what an electric current would do to the collar it already has.” 

“Yes, yes, best not to shock it. It would be hell if the collar broke, I doubt you want your house to burn down.” Himchan winced. No, he definitely didn’t. This human was such a hassle, and despite how Daehyun and even Junhong seemed to think, he couldn’t wait to get rid of it. “Daehyun’s acting out again?” Jaehwan then asked, and Himchan sighed. “For the situation at hand, he’s being obedient. He hasn’t let the thing go, anyway, which was what I worried about. He’s miserable, but that can’t really be helped. It’s a tricky situation in the end that he fell for such a human.”

“He’s stupid, not a single ounce of common sense to him,” Jaehwan huffed. “Make sure Junhong doesn’t follow in his footsteps. Either way, I have to return to this meeting. Force has been the best way to train all of my current feeders, but if it’ll prompt Daehyun to act out, try and think of another way. I expect it to be at the very least calm when I come to pick it up.” 

And the line went silent. Himchan slowly lowered the phone, staring down at Jaehwan’s contact information dully. Better said than done. He himself preferred force as well, but he doubted that his children would react kindly if the magica was physically injured. Perhaps he’d ask Chanyeol to come do it instead so that the blame wouldn’t be put on him. That would do, maybe. He’d see how the next few days went. 

It was silent when he left the office, and he figured the magica had finally passed out. He’d entered the room earlier and was greeted with horrible insults, and only Junhong pulling him out had stopped him from beating the vulgar thing into submission. Daehyun slept on the couch rather than in his own room, Junhong kept trying to talk some sense into the human and leaving without success. This was a mess entirely, and Himchan hadn’t considered that, while catching the magica had been difficult, keeping it was a whole different story.

He didn’t knock, opening the door to Daehyun’s bedroom and pacing in, his footsteps silent on the plush carpet as he sat on the end of the bed and stared down at the cage. The magica was curled up, and he wondered if it was Daehyun or Junhong who had given it the blanket but he didn’t care enough to remove it. A gag would do if it kept yelling, but there were other problems that couldn’t be fixed so easily. Daehyun’s depression and Jaehwan’s order to train it were the top issues. But he had to get what he’d promised out of the way. 

Standing up, he pulled a key from his pocket and locked the bedroom door. This was going to be like bathing a cat, and he expected to come out of it with at least some bruises, but it wasn’t something that could be helped. He couldn’t admit to being excited; Drinking magic blood was like taking a drug, it becomes more and more addictive over time. He’d want more after this and it wasn’t a good thing, but Jaehwan wanted the quality tested and Himchan didn’t want Daehyun or Junhong to get caught up in such an addiction. 

The door of the cage creaked as he opened it, and the magica groaned at the noise, it’s honey eyes slowly flickering open. Two blinks later and they were wide, the human jerking upward, seeming to just note that the cage door was open and that Himchan was leaning in. “Come out,” the vampire sighed while stepping out of the way. Like releasing a tiger, he waited with tension. The magica was weak without its magic, but it still knew enough about combat to hold its own. It wouldn’t be a hunter without knowing how to fight properly, after all. He wasn’t excited about this at all.

The magica, named Youngjae according to Daehyun (though Himchan hardly cared what its name was), slowly crawled out, rising to its feet. Its legs trembled as it stood, weak from sitting for so long, and every one of its movements were careful, its eyes brimmed with confusion. What sense would there be in Himchan releasing it? But that’s what Himchan wanted it to think. They both moved at the same time. 

Himchan jerked forward to grab the human and Youngjae swung his hand in an instant, the vampire hissing as sharp nails raced across his cheek. The human jumped back and, as expected, turned to run towards the door, but Himchan wasn’t stalled by something as shallow as a scratch, lunging forward and pinning the human to the ground. Youngjae yelled out as if someone who would help could hear, kicking his knee into Himchan’s stomach, but he could deal with something like that, leaning down and without hesitation digging his teeth into one of the many scars on the magica’s neck. 

It jerked at the sudden bite, beginning to struggle harshly, nails digging into Himchan’s neck, his arms, his legs kicking at Himchan’s knees and stomach, head thrashing from side to side. Himchan growled and grabbed the magica’s hair just to keep its neck still. It was irritating, but as the blood flowed over his tongue, he almost sighed. Just like it smelled, it tasted amazing in comparison to the blood that he was used to, like sugar and honey swirled in a perfect synchronization with the savory iron taste. He took thick gulps of it, hoping that the blood loss would calm the human down, and as expected it’s struggle began to fade. This was much, much better than the clotty blood bags he was used to, and he considered just using this human for meals until Jaehwan took him. No, he couldn’t fall to the addiction. This taste was what would make Jaehwan so much money. It made sense now why Jaehwan had put them through so much hell trying to capture this specific human, and Himchan for the first time in a while didn’t want to stop drinking.

“Stop… stop…” the magica whispered, it’s voice rough and desperate, but Himchan had no mind to. He knew exactly what the human limit was before it would begin to die, and even if the magica believed that it was going to bleed out, it wasn’t true. His stomach felt full and the human’s hand fell from Himchan’s shirt to lie limp on the floor. This was when he pulled away. The human’s chest was rising and falling flightily, its eyes were heavy and weak. Someone was knocking on the door rather violently, had probably been knocking for a while unheard, but Himchan ignored it. “You’ve never been drank from to this extent right? Your friends always come help you.” The magica parted its lips to snap back, but only a feeble whimper came out. “They’re not here now. So behave.” With that, Himchan lifted the limp human into his arms, carrying it back across the room and practically shoving it back into the cage. It curled back into itself the moment the door closed, trembling softly, something Himchan assumed was a side-effect of its magic being sucked out. But he had his answer, and Jaehwan would be delighted to know that the blood hadn’t lost any of its flavor with the collar intact. 

He unlocked the door, and Daehyun all but barged in, rushing straight past Himchan to kneel beside the bars, his eyes wide as he saw the leaking bite mark. “What the hell did you do?! You fucking said it yourself not to drink from him!” The younger whipped around, fingers digging deep into the carpet. Himchan rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. The struggle had exhausted him and now he was being yelled at by his own child. “It was per Jaehwan’s request. You know I have no choice in that sort of thing.”

“Then why so much? He’s practically unconscious, why did you drink that much?!” Himchan noted a splotch of blood on his sleeve. Maybe some bleach would get it out, but there were bigger priorities at the moment. “I admit, my self control wasn’t quite intact just now.” Himchan sighed, returning his eyes to his desperate child. “Daehyun, you’re blind. This human is no different from the others that you yourself drink from regularly. I assured you already that I won’t harm… him. I’m doing my best to keep you and Jaehwan both satisfied, so what would you prefer me to do?”

“He’s so pale, why did you drink so much..?” The younger’s voice softened, and Daehyun slowly reached through the bars, touching the human’s hand. It didn’t flinch away, probably already asleep again, it’s body trying to recover from the amount of blood that was sucked out. He felt for it’s wrist until he found a pulse, and sighed as Himchan could already hear the steady heartbeat from across the room. The human would be fine, it’d probably wake up and throw a fit.

“Himchan, I hate this..” Daehyun’s anger broke. “Doesn’t it hurt you? Knowing that he’s going to live the rest of his life in hell?” Himchan glanced down. Perhaps it would hurt to consider if he’d give himself a chance to consider it, but he wouldn’t. It was the same as knowing that baby birds died trying to flee the nest, or seeing a deer that’s been hit by a car. Daehyun still had a little too much humanity left in him, but Himchan did not. Struggle and eventual death was reality for anything living. If just this human suffered, it wasn’t much of a big deal. But Daehyun had gotten close to this one. And he would care.

“I care because you do,” Himchan finally sighed. “And if it were my choice, I would release this one because you’re fond of it. But I don’t have that option.” He paced over to the bed and sat back down on it, folding his hands over his lap. Daehyun pulled his hand out of the cage slowly as to not wake the sleeping human, sitting with his legs crossed on the floor. “It’s a horrible coincidence that the human you fell in love with..” Daehyun bit his lip. It wasn’t a lie, but it was something he probably didn’t want to admit. “...is the one that Jaehwan also wants.”

“Jaehwan wants anything. He gets everything. For once, why can’t he go without…?” His voice trembled, and Himchan beckoned Daehyun to the bed. Hesitant, his child rose and made his way over, sitting beside his master and staring long at the floor. “Because he’s powerful. I’m not fond of it either, you know this. But I don’t have the strength to overthrow him. The last time he was fed up with you he broke your wrist, he easily could kill you as well. I can’t handle that, Daehyun, losing you.” 

He didn’t get a response. Daehyun fell silent again, slowly bringing his arms up to hug himself. “What about the other two hunters? Do you still want them dead?” Himchan glanced down. “I feel like… killing them would be doing the harm that you told me not to do.” He glanced up to Youngjae. “It’s annoying, how much noise he makes. But,” Himchan reluctantly admitted, “He’s acting out like this because he still has hope, somewhere, even though he has no way of escaping. Why do you think that is?” 

Daehyun bit his lip. “The hunters won’t be able to find him. They don’t have tracking as far as I know.”

“But they’re alive. Haven’t you seen him put his fingers to those tattoos? He can tell that they’re alive from that somehow, I’m sure. If he put his fingers to those marks and didn’t feel anything, what do you think that would do?” Himchan wondered why he was comforting Daehyun like this, why he even bothered with the word ‘he’ for his child’s sake. Daehyun would learn eventually that Youngjae was just another human, but he couldn’t stare into those sullen eyes and not feel guilty for his stupid, ignorant child. 

“He would break,” Daehyun whispered, his voice low and weak. “They’re everything to him.” Himchan nodded. “Exactly. And in turn, that would hurt you, wouldn’t it? Even secondhand, I don’t want to bring anymore pain upon you than I already have. Unless Jaehwan tells me to kill them, I’ll leave them be.” Daehyun nodded before sighing, falling backwards to lay on the cushion of his bed, staring up dully at the ceiling. “What would Jaehwan do if I let Youngjae go?” 

Himchan felt his heart drop. This was what he was afraid of. Slowly, he whispered out his response. “Jaehwan has thirteen children. He wouldn’t care too much losing one. He would torture you, that’s an absolute. He’s already grown tired of your acting up. He would probably hurt me and Junhong for such extreme disobedience, and he would find Youngjae again.” 

Daehyun fell silent.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mul: ‘Are you okay?’  
Mul: ‘You haven’t logged on in a few days, so I’m worried.’  
Mul: ‘I do see that you’re online now. What’s upsetting you?’

Junhong knew exactly what was upsetting Daseot. He was part of the cause of it. Youngjae was quiet, but he knew he was awake. It was the first time the magica had woken up and stayed silent, but wasn’t it reasonable after Himchan had bitten him, drank so much from him? He was probably terrified still, trying halfheartedly to not remind Himchan that he existed. Junhong had gone in there to find Youngjae awake, but the food he’d brought was rejected. Perhaps Youngjae was trying to starve himself to death. 

Daseot: ‘My brother was kidnapped.’ 

Junhong blinked. That wasn’t something that would happen to a regular high school family. Admitting that his brother was taken would imply that something was going on behind the scenes would at least be questionable. Was Daseot dropping his act…?

Daseot: ‘Mul, I’m a vampire hunter.’

Oh. There it was. Junhong knew it was true, his heart tightened as he remembered digging his teeth into the neck of a human he’d later find was Daseot. But he couldn’t just go along with it. A high schooler wouldn’t believe it.

Mul: ‘Uh… lol. For like halloween, or?’

It took two minutes for a response.

Daseot: ‘I’m a vampire hunter. My brother was taken by vampires. I’m sick of pretending. I’m sorry for lying to you all this time.’ 

How broken did he have to be to reveal such an identity..? Junhong rubbed his eyes, considered closing his laptop but didn’t want to leave Daseot without someone to comfort him. His heart hurt badly enough, seeing Youngjae in such a terrified, broken state, seeing Daehyun’s eyes red from crying, seeing Himchan’s stress. Knowing how harshly Daseot was affected only made it worse. He just wanted the pain to end for everyone, but nothing could be helped in that. Jaehwan was the one tugging the strings after all, and there was no fighting his demands. 

Mul: ‘That’s… crazy. Jeez, I’d ask what your job was like, but it’s probably really bad timing. What happened to your brother..? Was it the older one or the younger one?’

Yongguk or Youngjae. He pretended to not remember their names, because it might be a little creepy to remember such specific information. Yongguk was probably suffering as well, the older brother that Daseot always said acted as a father in a way, cared so deeply for them that he risked his life every hunt to make sure that they made it out unharmed. He suddenly wondered what Daseot’s real name was, if it was also a name that started with a ‘Y’. No, that would be unreasonable. It wasn’t like they came from the same parents or anything. They weren’t a family by birth, but that seemed to make them even closer. 

Daseot: ‘Younger. It’s Youngjae. He’s gone, we lost him. Mul, I don’t know where he is, I don’t know where to begin searching for him. Yongguk is drinking his life away and going out every night to look, but we’ve searched the city streets up and sideways, it’s not like he would just be in an alley or something. He could be anywhere, even out of the country by now, we have no way of knowing. And I’m so exhausted, I’m really scared. I can tell he’s alive, we have… magic tattoos is the best way to describe it to someone not involved, so I can feel his pulse but..’

It was interesting and probably a good thing to know that Daseot could tell what Youngjae’s heartbeat was doing. He’d know if he was awake, he’d know if he was scared, and most of all, he’d know if he was alive.

At least they had that, but it wasn’t much. It wasn’t fair, what they were doing. It wasn’t morally right. Himchan had gone through with this to quell Jaehwan’s requests, but Junhong could tell that even he felt a little guilty, as much as he complained about Youngjae’s existence. 

In a single minute, he could type to Daseot their location. He could distract Himchan out of the house, and Daehyun would do nothing to stop the hunters from coming in and taking Youngjae out. He could do it right now, or wait until the daytime when Himchan would be asleep. He had the power to help Daseot and Youngjae all in one.

But he couldn’t. Not now. Jaehwan’s wrath would be something destructive and the thought of it was terrifying. So for now, he sighed, fingers typing slowly in comparison to their normal speed. He closed his laptop immediately after he pressed enter, wishing he could say more.

Mul: ‘I’m so, so sorry. I hope you find him soon.’ 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------

The door creaked open, but he didn’t look up this time. It was best to pretend to be asleep after the events that had taken place. His neck itched and burned and stung all at once, something so familiar and yet more devastating than he was used to. Most of the time his bites would be wrapped immediately, he’d have Yongguk or Jongup to rely on when he came to from the exhaustion of the blood loss. He must’ve lost consciousness midway through the bite, but there was no comfort in a cold, metal cage, and there was no Jongup or Yongguk here. 

The footsteps were muffled due to the plush carpet, and he subconsciously curled a little more into himself, heart racing. Was it Himchan again? He’d woken up earlier but hadn’t had the energy nor the will to yell after such a violent bite. The less attention drawn to himself, the better. Whoever was in the room didn’t speak, and he was sure that Himchan would’ve by now. The younger vampire? Or… 

“Youngjae..” Or Daehyun. Youngjae couldn’t stand how sorry he sounded, and he closed his eyes tighter, trying to slow his breathing. “I’m sorry.” Go away, just go away. He didn’t want to have to deal with how tight his chest felt when Daehyun spoke, he didn’t want to have to consider why he still felt betrayed when he should’ve seen it coming in the first place. 

“And you have every right to not forgive me. That’s something I didn’t realize at first but… I did something horrible to you.” He trembled without meaning to and heard a sigh from right near the cage. Daehyun knew he was awake, did he really want to keep pretending…? He was too tired to stay defiant, at least for today, tonight, or whatever time it was. Slowly sitting up, he turned his weary gaze to the vampire, swallowing tightly when he noted that Daehyun looked even more broken with guilt than he sounded. “You ruined everything,” he whispered, his voice rough and fragile. It hurt to talk, his throat bobbing and just barely tugging at the messy, open wound. “My life, my family, it’s all gone. I trusted you and you took everything.” His voice broken at the last word, and he realized that the trembling might not be from the cold of his lacking magic this time. 

Daehyun sniffed, glancing aside as if he couldn’t handle looking into Youngjae’s eyes. It felt so horrible, this weight in his stomach, and somehow he could tell that Daehyun had the same weight. It wasn’t fair. Daehyun made the choice to do this, Daehyun’s the one who set him up to be locked in here. He didn’t deserve to regret it. 

“I had no choice,” Daehyun whispered, bowing his head. “If I had any say in the matter I wouldn’t have let this happen, Youngjae. And I know you won’t believe that, you have no reason to believe me, but I…” He took a breath, a slow, deep, intentional one, as if setting himself up to speak despite not needing the air to do so as a vampire. “I care about you, and if I had any control over this situation I would let you free right away. I’m still working on making sure that Jaehwan doesn’t take you-”

“Who is Jaehwan..?” He could at least know what this horrid fate he was being told about even was. He was so tired, so worn and only a single day had passed. Time was slowing for the sole purpose of torturing him, and it wasn’t like there was hope ahead. Thoughtlessly he pressed his fingers to one of the tattoos on his wrist and felt his heartbeat gradually slow to match the pace of Jongup’s. At least they were okay, at least they were alive. How long would it stay that way if they came looking for him..? 

“He’s evil. That’s all I can really describe to you. He’s done worse to magica than you can even imagine for disobeying him and he has our coven in a chokehold.” Oh. Of course, this was his fate. “Why does he want me..?” was his next question. Daehyun bowed his head, Youngjae noted how soft his hair looked before flicking his gaze back down to the cold metal floor. “The same reason everyone wants you. He wants to sell you out.” He felt sick, wondered if they would take him out of the cage if he vomited in it. “So,” his voice rattled, “I’m going to be stuck in this cage until this Jaehwan guy comes and then I’m going to… to be used as a…”

“A feeder,” Daehyun breathed, and his tone was filled with so much dread and loathing, Youngjae glanced towards his eyes again because it sounded so genuine. “And I’m trying everything I can to prevent that from happening. Even if you have to stay here, anything is better than losing you to him-”

“I want to see my family again,” Youngjae whispered. There was no use in his pride, not in front of Daehyun who he’d already dropped it for before, not when he was so tired. If Daehyun said he was on his side, he had no use but to at least reluctantly believe it. He couldn’t do this, he couldn’t handle this alone. Even if Daehyun was pretending, he was someone to rely on. “I want to go back. Jongup… I told him I’d be back in an hour. They’re probably worried sick and… and…” he choked, swallowing down the knot in his throat before it lifted to form tears. “And at this rate I’m not even going to get to say goodbye. I’d rather be dead.” Daehyun huffed like the notion was ridiculous, Youngjae dying, but there was no exaggeration implied. “I’d rather be dead than be stuck in a cage and bitten into for the rest of my life.” 

Daehyun didn’t respond, his head bowed, hiding his eyes behind his hair. It felt so hopeless, so overwhelmingly hopeless. “I’m thinking of ways to counter this, so hang in there,” he finally muttered. “On my life, I won’t let Jaehwan take you. And no matter what Himchan says, I’ll do everything I can to make being here as tolerable as possible. If I let you out of that cage, you’ll end up in one where I can’t reach you. But there has to be another way.” 

There was a thump from outside the door, but it wasn’t a knock. They both watched the knob for a few seconds after the noise passed in case it would reoccur before turning back to each other. Daehyun’s stare was a little too intense, Youngjae found that he couldn’t stare into it for very long before his eyes were falling to the ground again. “Trust in me. Trust in Junhong too, he’s a good kid, he’s worried about you.” The words felt so distant, but Youngjae nodded slowly. Daehyun stared long into his eyes, so long that it was almost discomforting, before swallowing audibly. “If you hate me too, that’s what I deserve. But even if you hate me, I’m going to be here for you, Youngjae. I’m going to do everything I can to keep you safe.” 

His neck hurt. The wound might get infected if it wasn’t wrapped, but he wouldn’t ask for a bandage, didn’t want to have to rely anymore on his captors than he already was. He hesitated for a second, but perhaps he was too weary to consider his words properly, to consider his feelings. “I don’t hate you,” Youngjae whispered. “But I’m… I’m…” What was the word to describe it..? Feeling betrayed? Angry? “I’m scared,” he finally let out before laying down and rolling to his side, facing his back to Daehyun’s profile so he wouldn’t have to see the other’s face once he said it. “I know,” Daehyun whispered. Youngjae felt warmth on his hand and flinched, recognizing that it was a hand, Daehyun’s hand, reaching through the bars. He didn’t hold it nor did he push it away, letting it rest above the back of his hand in a way that would’ve been soothing was he not so confused on how he felt towards Daehyun in this moment. 

“I know, and I’m sorry. I’ll at the least talk to Himchan, just to try and get him to cut you some slack.” 

“Okay.” He was numb. Above all else, just numb. Daehyun stood and Youngjae didn’t even realize that he was still in the room until hours later, when he heard a whisper, then a whimper, from the bed. Squinting through the darkness he did confirm that Daehyun was asleep. A dream? The other’s head lashed from side to side, he was panting despite how Youngjae didn’t often see him breathe. He listened to the breaths and put his finger on his tattoos, feeling slow heartbeats, confirming for the second time in the minute that at least his family was okay. 

Daehyun cried in his sleep and Youngjae stared out into the darkness of the room, pulling the blanket tighter around his body and waiting for time to drag by.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this chapter with a lot of noise around me, so I hope its okay~ I had trouble focusing but I wanted to release it soon… ,_, It's a more mellow chapter but hopefully it was alright <3


	23. Mellow

It was raining. The wind was nonexistent and the droplets had no force behind them, barely even triggering a feeling when they hit his skin. Rain seemed rather fitting, given the atmosphere of the past few days. Three days, to be exact. Just three days… how could they feel so long? 

So long since Youngjae was home, so long since they went to the mall and got food and so long since Youngjae came into his room and sat on the bed just to talk. Yongguk would have cherished that moment even if the younger hadn’t gone missing, but now it was an anchor, a memory that he rooted solid in his mind, as if holding onto Youngjae in his thoughts would somehow reel him back in reality. 

Three days. It was kind of chilly outside for how hot it had been in the recent weeks. Summer was rolling around, and Yongguk heard the echo of a child’s laughter from down the street, a mother’s voice calling, ‘Come on, the sun is setting! We have to go home!’ He wished life was so simple for them. The sun sets, you go to sleep. When you wake up, the sun has risen and the monsters have sunken back into their dens. The clouds that rolled in with the rain thoroughly blocked the sunset, it was hard to tell when it was necessarily going to become nightfall. He didn’t speed up his steps. As a man ran towards his car with an umbrella overhead and a dog barked in warning from the neighborhood across the road, Bang Yongguk had no more energy to spare on fearing the night like the others. 

The VED’s building wasn’t far from their house, but he’d taken his time, leaving on impulse right before the sun began setting and not yet regretting the dangerous choice. Just another block and he’d be there, but he wouldn’t hurry. His feet had weights, his eyes were heavy. A hangover was still pressing down on him and his head throbbed, but regardless of how much he wanted to curl up and never leave his bed, there were important things to do. 

A minute of walking, the sky grew dimmer, and the familiar building was in sight. He almost dreaded the idea of going in there. He’d reported Youngjae missing immediately upon Jongup telling him he hadn’t returned from the night. That was, of course, three days ago. It only normally would take a day to review such reports, and he hadn’t been contacted since, so something must’ve gone askew. The dread was thicker than the headache in his mind, and he wasn’t ready for the conversation that he was about to have to have. 

After all, missing persons rarely lead to a search. Yongguk figured that Youngjae, being as powerful and as important to the VED as he was, would be different. 

The receptionist blinked up upon the door swinging open, and she almost smiled before seeing the grim look on Yongguk’s face. As if knowing why he looked like he hadn’t slept in days, her eyes softened and she chewed on her lip. Yongguk could never remember her name, but he had no mind to make an effort tonight. 

“The director should be in,” Yongguk stated. He knew the man well enough through phone calls and mission reports that he had a general perception of his hours. The receptionist nodded meekly, staring at the large computer screen casting a sheer light over her pale face. “He is. I think he’s finishing up a mission report with Mr. Jung-”

“Tell him I’ll be in his office in thirty seconds.” 

And he was gone. Normally he’d make an effort to be polite, but no such effort existed anywhere within him anymore. Imagining the horrid picture of the vampires that had nearly killed Jongup, knowing that Youngjae was in their hands, swearing that he should’ve been able to stop it somehow, it was unbearable. He was still alive, that was all Yongguk could rely on, the steady thump under the yellow skin of the small tattoo being the only thing he could rely on. But how long would that heartbeat go on? And what kind of pain was Youngjae going through to make his pulse race like it did at night? 

He didn’t even knock. The door was open already, just barely, and he pushed through it. The director hardly seemed surprised, only just putting down his phone that the receptionist had likely called him on to announce Yongguk’s sudden arrival. Jung Leo was still in the room, one of the other hunters that Yongguk didn’t associate with much, but as if knowing what was going on was important, he bowed and excused himself quickly. 

The director didn’t seem pleased about the intrusion. “I was in a meeting, Yongguk,” he huffed, walking around and falling into his cushy chair, leaning his elbows on his steel desk. “What in hell has gotten into you? Just barging in, it isn’t like you-”

“You know what the hell has gotten into me..!” He didn’t necessarily intend to raise his voice, and yet it came out as almost a yell. Mindfully, Yongguk grabbed for the door handle behind him and gently shut the door not wanting to disrupt the entire building since he was almost positive that his anger was going to shoot up from this conversation. “Yoo Youngjae. The only magica in the department, my teammate, you know the one, don’t you?” The director sighed as if it were a teenager yelling at him rather than a desperate man, shaking his head slowly as if already cancelling out Yongguk’s words. “He’s missing and I’m a little curious as to why the hell I haven’t received contact about a search party being formed.” The director’s eyes were heavy, heavy as the storm clouds that rolled outdoors, it was clear that he was conflicted. 

“Yongguk, we don’t… You know we don’t do search parties anymore, we’ve only found two people alive amongst the hundreds of requests…” 

“Youngjae is alive.” He rolled up his sleeve, holding out his arm to reveal the two tattoos, green and yellow shapes on his wrist. “These. They’re pulsepoint tattoos, if you talk to the research department enough you’ll know that they’re accurate.” The man swallowed, glancing up to Yongguk, and he wished he didn’t feel guilty for this argument. The director knew Youngjae well, he was the one who allowed Youngjae to live and train in the VED after Yongguk practically dragged him in off the street. It wasn’t like he was being heartless, but that didn’t make it okay to put procedure over Youngjae’s life. 

“His heart is beating. I can feel it, I can feel it every time I touch this tattoo. I can tell when he’s asleep, I can tell when he’s scared. He’s alive and he’s in danger, sir. He’s been gone for three days, that’s three days we could’ve spent searching for him! Me and Jongup can only do so much on our own, but with help-”

“Yongguk, do you even know what happened to him?”

Yes, he did. He knew the vampires that took him, he knew their faces, he knew that they planned to make Youngjae a feeder and that was most likely what was happening now. A pang of remorse shot through his chest at the thought of what must be happening to someone who was practically his little brother at this point. “Yes,” he croaked out. “Two vampires attacked me and Jongup. It was the night that we brought Jongup in for the transfusion, remember?” A short nod. They were the most important team in the department, of course the director would hear about every good and bad that came across their path. “The vampires that attacked us said they wanted Youngjae. They wanted his blood, for…” he couldn’t continue, but he didn’t have to.

“Yongguk. If Youngjae is off the streets, there’s nothing we can do for him. If they wanted him as a feeder and it’s been three days, he’s probably already locked in whatever den or hideout or whatnot that these vampires are staying in. We’ve never found a coven’s home, no matter how much we’ve searched. Youngjae doesn’t have a tracker on him, there’s no way to know where he is. He could be anywhere in the country right now.” It hurt, it stabbed at his chest to hear each and every word that passed the director’s sympathetic lips. “The vampires, I know their faces, we could find them and follow them-”

“Do you think they’d let themselves be found by us knowing that we’d be looking for them? Even if we did send a team and said team found these vampires, it’s not like we can stalk them to where they live, they’d notice and attack.” The man sighed, heavy and low like the thunder that rumbled outside. “Yongguk, I’d… suggest not feeling your tattoo anymore. You could even get it removed, we have the technology-”

“What are you saying…?” his voice broke and he’d never cried in front of anyone before but this was so fucking hard, he couldn’t stand it. His throat felt raw, his eyes were damp, the rain pattered on the metal roof above and the sound of each droplet striking the steel was another rock thrown at his heart. There had to be something, something they could do. Knowing Youngjae was alive, knowing he was suffering, there had to be some way to save him. But the director’s eyes were stricken with a mellow finality, and his voice softened in empathy. “Yongguk, the reason why we don’t accept search requests anymore is because families would stay up all night, waiting for that momentous call that their loved one has been rescued and answering the phone to hear that all we found was a body. We lift hopes just to drop them, and it breaks people even further than if they just accept their losses.”

“But Youngjae is alive, you don’t understand-”

“Youngjae is tough, Yongguk. You know this as well as I do. But as a hunter, he very likely knows that his survivability, his chance of being rescued, is impossibly low. Sending a party to find him, even if it’s just you and Jongup, is putting more people in danger for a… I’m sorry for saying this… but it’s for a lost cause. There’s no logical way to track Youngjae down or get ahold of him, trust me, I’ve been thinking hard on it these past few days as well. I think you should get that tattoo removed so that you’re not stuck on it and… well.”

Anger, denial, frustration, fear, it was all pulsing in his chest like a heartbeat, sick and heavy, and Yongguk could barely breathe through the clotting that the emotions formed in his lungs. “I’m not going to sit around, whether you help or not,” he spat, his hands trembling until he knotted them into fists. “If we don’t have a search party then so be it, but we’re not going to sit and do nothing. Youngjae is my fucking family, how could you suggest that I should just leave him to suffer and die like that? If it were your daughter would you do nothing? Your wife?” The director bowed his head, taking a slow, steady breath. Yongguk didn’t give him a chance to respond. “You say you get it, but you don’t. Youngjae, Jongup, they’re everything that I have left. I can’t lose them too,” he practically gasped. “I can’t lose them too…” 

“That watch that you stole from the research department last year. Keep it.” Yongguk blinked up, realizing that his lashes were wet only when they struck his cheek. “Yes, I do know about it. Use that if you’re going to try and track down a coven, it should reveal how many vampires are within a certain circumference around you. I can’t send out hunters for this, I can’t risk that many lives and I truly am sorry, Yongguk. For now, I’ll allow you access to the research facility. All I ask is that you and Jongup stay safe. We can’t lose anyone else, especially not of your group.” 

There was hope, but it was feeble. Yongguk took it anyway, sighing in attempt to release the tension in his chest and finding that none of it escaped on his breath. “Thank you,” he muttered. As minimally as the help was, it was help, and that was more than he’d expected to walk out of here with. At least with permission to use the watch they could walk the city until a large group of vampires appeared. At least they had access to the department that created the gadgets they could need in the process of hunting down Youngjae. The director’s eyes were cloudy as the rain-filled sky, and his voice was the rumble of mellow thunder. 

“Take care, Yongguk. Find Youngjae and get him back safely.” 

\------------------------------------------------------------

The grandfather clock ticked, the needle rocking back and forth, and Junhong had been standing outside the door to Daehyun’s room for approximately ten minutes now, deciding whether he should enter or not. Youngjae had been quiet today, the entire day, and unlike Himchan who was relieved, the silence was rather uncomfortable for Junhong. Somewhere deep inside, perhaps in the part of him that felt guilty for Youngjae’s imminent fate, he didn’t want the magica to lose hope. After all, he could still save him. He wouldn’t, he couldn’t, not with Jaehwan around. But it was a thing he was capable of. Telling Daseot where they were, it would be so easy physically, but the consequences would be immense. He couldn’t risk Daehyun or Himchan for the sake of Youngjae, but he wished he didn’t have to pick a side at all. 

The doorknob was cold under his hand, and finally he pushed it down and swung the door open, stepping into the room. Youngjae was sitting up, the blanket Junhong had given him draped over his lap, a plate of fruit sitting untouched in the corner of the cage. “You should eat,” Junhong suggested softly. This wasn’t his first visit, nor his second. He’d stopped in numerous times to give Youngjae food or to make sure he didn’t need anything. Himchan was going for a ‘bad cop’ atmosphere and hardly cared for Youngjae’s health in general, but Junhong wasn’t going to fake being some monster to scare the magica into shape. Himchan said that he and Daehyun were too human, caring so much, but when did that even become an insult? 

“Not hungry,” Youngjae muttered. He’d grown more responsive and less aggressive upon each of Junhong’s visits, seeming to realize that the only real threat in the house was Himchan. Junhong eyed Youngjae’s neck, noted that it was carefully bandaged where Himchan’s fangs had dug in yesterday. He’d seen Daehyun rooting through the first aid kit the night before; Did Youngjae let him treat him or did Daehyun do it while he slept? “Okay,” Junhong responded. Youngjae hadn’t eaten more than some chicken and a diced apple in the past three days, he’d barely drank more than a cup of water despite how the blood loss was probably drastically hitting his body. Trauma could do that, distract someone from basic necessities. He wished he could press further, maybe get something tastier to eat, but he knew Youngjae would only grow irritated if he pushed the topic, so he didn’t. 

“I wanted to talk to you,” Junhong finally sighed. This was why he was so conflicted to enter the room, what he was about to bring up. He honestly wasn’t able to guess how Youngjae would react about Junhong asking about his family, but maybe he could gather enough information about Daseot to know what to say if he did decide to break the truth. “Your brothers, could you tell me about them?” Youngjae’s eyes narrowed tightly and he shot his gaze upward, staring directly into Junhong’s pink eyes darkly. “What, so you can go kill them? Hell no. You and Daehyun, you’re both just playing nice to fucking trick me again.” As expected, it didn’t go well. Junhong sighed, sitting down in front of the cage, frowning as he looked in. “Actually, there’s another reason. You can’t bring this up to Himchan.” 

“Why would I tell that asshole anything?” At least that was something he could rely on, the fact that Himchan wouldn’t know. Junhong swallowed before gently lowering his voice, knowing that the master of the house would be able to hear most conversation happening within the walls if he was making an effort to listen. “I’m in contact with one of your brothers. I think it’s the younger one, with the silver hair.” Youngjae’s gaze softened and he stared at Junhong blankly. “I don’t know his name, but if you remember, I… kind of bit him on the night that you burned me.”

“How could I forget? You almost killed him,” Youngjae scoffed. Junhong shook his head slowly. “It wasn’t what I wanted. I lost control, and I’m truly sorry, Youngjae. I’ll tell that to him too when I get the chance. I’ve been online friends with someone for months, someone named ‘Daseot.’ But Daseot admitted to me that his brother was kidnapped and he got bitten by a vampire on the same exact night that it happened.” Youngjae blinked slowly, cogs turning visibly in his head. “He’s always on his laptop talking to someone…” he muttered under his breath, as if confirming it with himself. “There’s no way though, he wouldn’t talk to a vampire-”

“I’ve been pretending to be human, just a high schooler online. I… I’m still new to this vampire thing, I’m not even a year in. But we were both pretending to just be regular high schoolers. He doesn’t know that I’m a vampire and I’m afraid to tell him, but that’s not the point I’m trying to make.

“Youngjae, you can’t, you cannot, tell Himchan this. You can’t tell Jaehwan either when you meet him. But if I can go talk to your brother, I can tell him what’s happening to you right now. I won’t do it while you’re here, it’ll put Daehyun and Himchan in danger, but once Jaehwan takes you to the feeder house you’re not our responsibility anymore. At that point, it doesn’t matter if your brothers come to save you, it doesn’t affect us.” 

“What are you saying?” Youngjae whispered, eyes wide. Junhong swallowed before sighing and huffing out determinedly, “I’m saying that once Jaehwan takes you, I can tell your family where you are and they can get you out from there.” The room fell silent, the tension buzzing, and Youngjae’s eyes flicked from Junhong to the floor and back at least five times before settling on the metal ground beneath him. “Why would you do that?” He finally asked. “This Jaehwan guy would just get pissed. Wouldn’t that be bad for you?” Junhong nodded, but a gentle smile creased over his face. “Yes, it would be. But I’m not selfish, and for your sake, for your family’s sake, even for Daehyun’s sake, I think it would be better if you were free.” 

Another pause, he could hear Youngjae’s heart beating a little too clearly, rapid with such a realization. Softly, Youngjae told what Junhong had always wondered. “Jongup. You’ve been talking to Jongup.” His name, Daseot’s name. Jongup. “I don’t trust you,” the magica continued slowly, “But maybe he will.” 

\--------------------------------------------------------------

“Jaehwan, you’re calling rather often.” It wasn’t something he was necessarily fond of, but his master would grow irritated if he didn’t answer the phone every time it rang. “Yes, yes, but I have important things to discuss with you. How is my magica doing?” Himchan sighed, tilting the phone away so that Jaehwan wouldn’t hear it. “It’s alive. It’s quieted down completely but I haven’t tried to drink from it again. I’ll try tomorrow and see how it tolerates it. It won’t eat, but I doubt that’s something that bothers you.”

Jaehwan hummed. “Easier for me if it barely eats, it means I don’t have to buy as much human food.” Right, right, the human food he should already have in abundance for his other twenty-six feeders. Himchan didn’t mention it. “And Daehyun? Has he grown used to the magica’s situation?” 

Himchan had the same answer as before. “He’s tolerant, but barely. How long until you take this thing off my hands again?” Jaehwan chuckled at the impatience in Himchan’s tone, but the younger was dead serious. “A week, two weeks at the most. It’s looking like I’m going to be elected for head of council, which is a tremendous achievement.” Jaehwan was just the type to win such an election, but Himchan sounded surprised in his congratulations anyway. Jaehwan had the charms and words of a leader and the corrupt mindset of an official. It wasn’t much of a surprise that he was in the lead of the political sprint. 

“Ah, but Himchan. I’m going to stop by for a visit tomorrow evening. I’ve got a short break for the day, so I want to see my prize.” Oh. That was inconvenient. He’d have to figure out what to do with Daehyun, knowing that the magica and Jaehwan in the same room wasn’t something that the younger vampire would handle well. “Yes, I understand. Forgive me if it’s still disobedient, I’ve been trying to calm Daehyun and Junhong down from this massive change and prioritizing that over any form of training.”

“No worries, Himchan, family comes first. I can manage it anyway. Don’t worry about trying to bite it again, I can do that myself. I’m much more used to feeders, as you can tell by my successful business.” Twenty-six feeders, all who would stand in a line and bow, waiting to be chosen, all with dead, cold eyes. This hunter, Youngjae, would be the twenty-seventh, and yet somehow Himchan couldn’t picture it, him, with the same blank stare. “I’ll see you tomorrow then,” Himchan softly stated before saying his goodbyes and hanging up. Dropping his phone onto the chair, he immediately left the house to find Daehyun. It was going to be a rough night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this chapter is okay. I didn't proof read since I'm super busy preparing for a convention, but I wanted to put out a chapter before I left. I'll be on a mini vacation for the next few days, so the next chapter may be a little delayed <3 I hope it isn't inconvenient.


	24. Heartbeat

The rain still tumbled down and Junhong found it befitting, the roaring thunder, the crashing storm. He always found himself huddled in his bedroom when Jaehwan was to come over. Conflict wasn’t his forte, and the man dragged it around like a child with an oversized doll, swinging it at anyone who decided that it was time to stop playing king of the castle. Daehyun, being the first to come to mind, was Jaehwan’s constant adversary. But he wasn’t coming here to nose at Daehyun tonight. He was coming for Youngjae. 

It wasn’t his problem and Junhong was firmly decided by the second he was fully awake that he wasn’t going to make this his problem. Only pain would come from trying to guard Youngjae or even trying to care about him tonight. No, he would stay in his room, put on his headphones to muffle whatever sounds echoed through these thin walls from Daehyun’s room, and he would disappear into his music, into an early nap, into literally anything besides considering what else would be going on in the house at that moment. 

Himchan was tidying up, and Junhong could hear already Daehyun disputing Jaehwan’s visit. The words sweeped in under the crack in the door like rushing water, and Junhong wondered if there was a way to make his room entirely soundproof so he wouldn’t have to hear what happens throughout the rest of the house so often. 

“He can’t come, Himchan. Not yet, at least, it’s too soon.” 

“It was going to happen eventually. He’s not going to take him today, he’s just coming to meet him.”

“‘Meet him’? He’s coming to fucking inspect his meat before he tears it apart! What if he thinks that Jae isn’t good being here? He’ll take him to one of the others, and-”

“None of the others WANT him, Daehyun. I’ve talked with Chanyeol, Baekhyun, even Suho would rather avoid having a human, let alone a magica, in their homes. I don’t even want him, but for your sake and Jaehwan’s he gets to stay. Unless Jaehwan specifically orders it, he’s not going anywhere yet.”

It wasn’t something Junhong wanted to be involved with, and really he wasn’t, but somehow being able to hear the conversation halfway put him between the two, his thoughts racing with responses that he would never speak out. He was on Daehyun’s side. He didn’t know Youngjae well enough to admit to caring about him specifically, but the fact that Youngjae was a life in their hands made it difficult to ignore what was probably going to happen to him tonight. Knowing that Daehyun was directly and emotionally involved with Youngjae didn’t help at all. He didn’t want his brother to be hurt by this, he didn’t want anyone to be hurt in general. His mind flickered up a vague image of silver hair and catlike eyes. Daseot… No, his name is Jongup. The hunters were absolutely in pain right now as well, and Junhong wasn’t sure if he should tell them about Jaehwan or if he should pretend like he knows nothing, continue pretending to Jongup that he’s just a student. Pretending is safer, but closing your eyes and still hearing the screams… it doesn’t take away the guilt. 

He glanced up to the clock and listened to its silent tick, watching the second hand swoop past the other, easing close to the three o’clock mark. The knock at the door pierced the sound, and shit Jaehwan knocked loud, always so loud that Junhong jumped a little at the sudden disruption. Immediately he grabbed for his headphones, rushing like his life depended on it to coat his ears with mufflers of some kind before he could hear the man’s voice. It wasn’t like Jaehwan had done any harm to him, often praising him and patting his shoulder, nagging that he should get out more. But no act of being a good sport could hide what Junhong knew Jaehwan was really like, and he was always scared for the moment that the man would demonstrate that vicious, selfish side directly to him. 

His bed shook a little, the door had slammed shut. He couldn’t hear voices, he couldn’t hear really anything, and this was fine. Clicking on the tab where his music had been paused, he hovered the mouse over the video to play it, but instead stared at the clock, listening to the seconds silently ticking away. Even if he covered his ears, even if he isolated himself from what was going on, it was still happening. The tree was still falling in the forest even if no one could see or hear it, and Youngjae was still in danger, perhaps Daehyun if he reacted wrongly. Junhong noted his stomach doing flips, staring at the F key of the keyboard until it blurred, before swiping the headphones off of his head and tossing them to the foot of the bed. Instantly sound flooded back, the air conditioner whirring, the rain crashing down, the footsteps, the voices from the living room.

“Would you like something warm to drink? It’s chilly out there and I’m excited to hear about what happened at the conference.” Himchan. He didn’t sound at all excited, but Jaehwan didn’t seem to care to listen for tone, replying with a hearty, warm quality to his voice, “Ah, thank you but don’t burden yourself with it. If you don’t mind me taking off my coat though, I don’t want to drip water all over your carpet.” He was being rather friendly today, but Junhong figured that wasn’t unreasonable. Jaehwan had just come from a conference where image and prestige was everything he needed to reach his goal. Perhaps he was still in that mindset, playing himself as the big leader, the calm and collected figurehead that he wanted to be so badly. 

“I don’t mind, go ahead.” Junhong didn’t hear Daehyun, which was reasonable but still relieving. Daehyun was more likely to follow his feelings than reason after all, so knowing that he didn’t already tell Jaehwan to leave was something. Junhong could picture him sitting on the couch with his arms crossed tightly, eyes shooting daggers at Jaehwan until the man looked at him, in which they would flit to the floor. Maybe instead he was in his room, trying to comfort Youngjae. 

Shit, Youngjae. Was he awake? Could he hear the conversation happening in the living room as well? Junhong wasn’t able to tell yet how well his hearing had improved since becoming a vampire, was he able to hear through walls only because his hearing was amplified? If this were the case, he almost hoped that Daehyun was in there, warning Youngjae of what was about to happen, preparing him. Junhong could be doing that, but… no, he couldn’t be. Getting involved would be dangerous. Even not ignoring Jaehwan’s entire existence at the house right now was dangerous in and of itself. 

“Now then, let’s not wait for much longer. I can already smell it.” Junhong flinched. It was now. Jaehwan was going to walk in there and… and what? He didn’t know. Would he bite him? Would he hurt him? Would he even touch him at all? There was no way to know until after. Like standing on train tracks and facing away from the oncoming train, it would hit regardless of whether he was watching, but at least one way he could see it coming. Without thinking, without allowing himself to think, he stood and paced the short distance from the bed to the door, sucking in a worthless breath and flinging his door open. It startled everyone in the room, Daehyun, Himchan, even Jaehwan blinking in his direction like he had a spotline shimmering down over his bedhead and pajama pants. 

“Good morning,” he nearly gasped out. Jaehwan’s presence was always a hit to the gut, musky and physically pressuring, somewhat like wearing clothes that have been soaked with rain. Jaehwan’s smile was sunshine and rainbows, his thick brows raising as he grinned. “Junhong! I’m so surprised, you’re usually cooped up in your room.” Yes, that was for a reason. Honestly he wasn’t sure yet if this was for a good reason either. It wasn’t like he could deter Jaehwan from Youngjae, it wasn’t like his presence would help anything. Was it better than ignoring the conflict? At this point, he had no idea. But here he was.

Himchan smiled as well, but it was nothing close to reassuring, his lips curving upward and yet not reaching his eyes in the slightest, which were swimming with concern. It could be assumed that he didn’t approve of Junhong coming out this time, like this was something that he didn’t want his children to be involved with. Daehyun was involved already, given the scenario, but Junhong? He was at least allowed to hide in his room. He was perhaps the only one who could, and yet… 

“How was your conference?” It was awkward and forced, the words, and as expected not much conversation arose from them, though Jaehwan did give kudos for his attempt and respond. “Oh, same old same old. A bunch of really old guys at a table planning things that don’t matter so much.” Hearing Jaehwan call anyone ‘really old’ was incomprehensible, given that Jaehwan was surely somewhere around five or six hundred years old, and Junhong could only nod, his mind echoing so much of the tension around him that he could barely ask it to produce words. 

Daehyun was both hidden and in plain sight on the plush white couch, curled up with his knees to his chest like a child, staring at his dark boots like they were the most interesting thing in the room. The fact that his shoes were on at all indicated that he planned to leave, and Junhong wondered if he’d missed his chance or if he was going to leave soon. It was less likely, the latter. Unlike Junhong in most cases, Daehyun wasn’t capable of letting the tree fall alone. He had to be there to watch, to hear, to document, whatever conflict arose, just in case he could somehow prevent it from getting worse, from even happening if it could be helped. 

Himchan was standing in the juncture between the kitchen’s island and the living room, right on the border of tile and wood, eyes flicking restlessly from each of his children and then to his maker like it felt wrong that the three were in the same room at the same time. He obviously didn’t expect Junhong’s appearance, but here it was. Jaehwan had already set it aside.

“Well? I assume it’s in Daehyun’s room still.” And then, Jaehwan started walking. With that, everyone else kicked into motion. Himchan strode in thick paces after his maker, face falling into a blank, stone slate, while Daehyun leaped off the couch like a sprayed cat, standing tensed and frozen as if he didn’t know whether to follow or not. Junhong took slow, careful steps in approaching him, softly muttering, “I can go in there if you don’t feel like you can watch.” Daehyun showed no sign of hearing him, eyes fixed on the hallway that lead to his bedroom, and they could both hear the steps distancing, the doorknob turning. 

“I can be there for him if you can’t.” The seconds silently ticked by, one, two…

“Please,” Daehyun whispered. Junhong expected more and got nothing, gently rubbing the elder’s shoulder before taking long, forced strides towards the room. The door was hanging open and he could hear from the muffled steps on carpet that the two eldest in the home had only just entered. He whipped the corner and his heart fell, as if seeing Youngjae and Jaehwan in the same room was a billboard advertising a complete loss of hope, a failure to hold off the inevitable. 

“It’s attractive, that’s a plus,” Jaehwan cooed, kneeling in front of the cage that boxed Youngjae’s curled up form, his dark hair dusted over closed eyes, the steady, all too human rise and fall of his chest that no one else in the home experienced. Jaehwan eyed him like a child looking through a glass wall at a zoo, except the ‘don’t touch’ sign was invalid this time and he extended his hand over his shoulder. Himchan dropped a key into his palm, the key to the lock. The rain swarmed down over the roof and Junhong swallowed as the sound of it didn’t do well in muffling the turn of the key, the click of the lock, the groan of the metal door swinging open. Himchan was tense as a rock, arms crossed over his chest and nails digging into his forearms. Junhong wished he could comfort him, but this was no scenario for anyone to feel comfortable, except maybe Jaehwan. 

“Magica,” Jaehwan whispered almost as if it was a joke. Don’t wake the sleeping human! He seemed giddy, his smile wide and toothy, his legs falling into a criss-cross as he leaned in and stroked a hand down Youngjae’s back, the fabric of his black shirt creasing with the motion. Youngjae whimpered but his eyes didn’t open and Jaehwan leaned a little closer, chuckling amusedly, tapping his fingers along the human’s cheek. “Maaagica,” he sung. Youngjae’s lashes fluttered, and Junhong wished he couldn’t wake, didn’t want to see his fear when he realized who was touching him, when he realized what it meant that Jaehwan was here even if it wasn’t yet the day that he’d be taken. 

But those eyes opened, a light brown that was almost yellow tinted in the current lighting, they opened slow and then very suddenly they were wide, and he was jerking away from Jaehwan. Daehyun had likely warned him of this man, the one who was blocking the exit of the cage with his entire body. Youngjae backed into the corner, his socked feet subconsciously pressing against the metal floor as if he could somehow push himself back even further. Jaehwan’s smile trickled down as he began to focus, humming to himself. “Pretty eyes. Probably the magic, that woman’s eyes were rather pretty as well.” What woman..? Though Himchan’s expression darkened slightly at the words, he didn’t respond. 

“Get away,” Youngjae growled, eyes narrowing tightly, fingers curling into the cage floor. A stronger whiff than usual of his honey-like scent struck Junhong’s nose and he only realized upon further staring at Youngjae’s hands that the magica was trying to summon his fire, expelling magic like fuel and yet not having access to the spark that would normally ignite it. Jaehwan’s smile faded entirely now, and he sighed long and deep. “Himchan, this is-”

“I told you, it isn’t trained.” Junhong tried not to listen, staring into Youngjae’s eyes, begging that the human would notice him, would look at him so that he could do whatever he could to assure him that he wasn’t alone in this. He didn’t tell Daehyun that he would be here for nothing, and even if he could do nothing, even if he absolutely should be hiding in his room with his headphones on, Junhong refused to know that Youngjae was about to suffer and stay entirely ignorant. 

“Get away,” Youngjae whispered and his voice cracked a little. Junhong stared deeply into his fearful, glaring eyes even if they didn’t look back, even if they were too focused on the elephant in the room to note what was happening in the background of Jaehwan’s image. Jaehwan stared into Youngjae’s eyes darkly, sternly, and his voice was thick and deep. “No.” The sound of it had Junhong’s chest tightening, but Youngjae nearly flinched back, clenching his teeth and glaring sharply. “I fucking said get away from me,” he spat out defiantly. Didn’t Daehyun warn him…?! Junhong’s foot slid forward as if his body wanted him to move, to do something about this, but he forced himself to stay still. 

Jaehwan was faster than Junhong could see move clearly, he couldn’t imagine how fast it would seem to Youngjae. Jaehwan was in the cage entirely now, straddling the magica with the juncture between his thumb and forefinger jamming right down onto his bandaged throat. The metal walls were tight around them, not meant for one person let alone two, and Youngjae clawed at Jaehwan’s shoulders before digging his fingers into the man’s face. Without hesitation Jaehwan lowered his other hand and began to drag his nails down Youngjae’s cheek as if they were mirroring one another, eyes cold and calculating as he did so. Youngjae’s inhale was thick and audible as he barely could gather enough air with the hand at his throat, and Jaehwan’s nails were much sharper than his, peeling skin as they dragged down his face. “Don’t claw,” the man smoothly demanded, and Youngjae lifted up his knee as if intending to jam it into Jaehwan’s stomach but he didn’t have time. Jaehwan grabbed him by the neck and jerked him up, his body following as if it were feather light against Jaehwan’s extreme strength, the man dragging him out of the cage. 

“Himchan, find me handcuffs. Clip its nails after I leave. If it keeps using them offensively, go ahead and pop them all off.” Junhong gagged. No way, Jaehwan couldn’t possibly have ordered something like that…! The man’s cheek was already healing after only seconds, and the only sign of the dispute was Youngjae’s damage, three angry red streaks running down from eye to jawline on the left side of his face. “Fingernails aren’t useful nor are they attractive, so they don’t matter much. Do you hear that, human? If you claw again, I’ll rip all your fingernails off.” Youngjae’s chest was huffing like he was hyperventilating despite Jaehwan still having a firm grasp on his neck, his hands were wrapped tightly around Jaehwan’s wrist and yet… he wasn’t using his nails anymore. Was this what Jaehwan considered training? Threats and violence? Of course it was, this was surely to be expected and yet… Junhong didn’t want to watch. 

“Let go,” Youngjae gasped, his voice grainy and soft. Jaehwan wasn’t necessarily choking him, just holding him by the neck, but with the man’s strength there was little doubt that Youngjae was struggling to breathe. “Himchan, you do have handcuffs don’t you?” Himchan nodded, and this was a surprise to Junhong who had never seen such an item in their house. Sure enough though, Himchan already had the requested item in the pocket of his beige cardigan, the metal rattling against itself as it was passed from one vampire to the other. 

“Hold it,” Jaehwan ordered before practically thrusting Youngjae into Himchan. The human stumbled forward weakly, only caught by Himchan pulling him into a bear hug and pinning his arms to his sides, giving Junhong a full view of the human’s expression, raw with panic and desperation. Did Youngjae know that he wasn’t going to be taken today..? Did they even know? There was no telling what Jaehwan wanted to do, why Jaehwan wanted the handcuffs. After all, he’d said he just wanted to look at Youngjae and here they were, far beyond just ‘looking’. Jaehwan fidgeted with the cuffs before grabbing Youngjae’s shoulders and turning him around, taking Himchan’s hand and pressing it against the back of the magica’s head as if he were maneuvering mannequins instead of people, taking Youngjae’s frail wrists and linking them in metal, tightening the cuffs until they dug a little into the skin but wouldn’t quite cut off circulation. 

Youngjae was trembling, and Junhong could tell that Himchan didn’t feel comfortable holding him like this, but Jaehwan didn’t seem fazed by this discomfort. “Good,” he hummed as if assessing his work. Youngjae jerked his hands apart and they didn’t go far before the short chain was jolting them still, and Junhong didn’t expect eyes on him until Jaehwan was staring at him firmly. “Junhong, you help too. I want you to hold it still while I bite it. Shouldn’t be too difficult.” Shit, he didn’t expect to actually be a part of this..! Youngjae began to jerk in Himchan’s grasp, his voice loud enough to almost echo, “Let go, let fucking go of me!!” and Jaehwan huffed loudly in frustration, grabbing a shirt off Daehyun’s messy bed and coming up beside Himchan to practically dig it into Youngjae’s mouth. “You’re right, it’s so damn loud,” he groaned even as Youngjae’s cries were muffled, as Jaehwan pressed the fabric too far past his tongue to spit out. Junhong’s hands were trembling, his eyes felt damp, he couldn’t do it, he couldn’t assist something like this but he couldn’t say no to Jaehwan when he was this irritated, he couldn’t-

“I’ll do it, Jaehwan, just bite it already so it settles down,” Himchan sighed, and Junhong wondered if this was the time or place to feel relieved. He firmly decided that it wasn’t when Jaehwan shrugged and leaned in without hesitation, Youngjae squeezing his eyes shut even before the man’s fangs touched the unbandaged side of his neck, only squeezing tighter when they pierced through the pale skin. It was quick, and Jaehwan didn’t take more than a few swallows before pulling away and wiping his lip, but a few swallows was enough for Youngjae’s forehead to fall limp against Himchan’s shoulder, for his tension to fall slack. He was getting weaker by the day, that was no surprise, but Junhong still felt his hopes fall further at seeing how the human could barely hold himself up, Himchan practically lifting him from just slipping to the floor. 

“It’s weak,” Jaehwan sighed, tsking softly as he began to pace, ignoring that Himchan seemed extremely uncomfortable with Youngjae practically sprawled against him. “Are you not feeding it properly? The blood wasn’t nearly as tasteful as it smelled either. It needs nutrition.” Himchan sighed, trying to resituate the human in his arms and Youngjae didn’t even put up a fight, his eyes fluttering even as he tried to regain his footing. “It won’t eat, Jaehwan. I’ve tried. It only eats when Daehyun feeds it, and that’s only a sometimes.” 

“Okay, well there’s an easy solution to that,” Jaehwan groaned out as if it were elementary knowledge. He came closer again to the two and stroked the pads of his fingers down the claws he had made into Youngjae’s cheek, and the human flinched, dazed eyes coming to focus for just a moment before they couldn’t hold themselves open, though he did tilt his head away to be out of Jaehwan’s touch again. “When training, you have to use exchanges. Magica, I’m fine with Daehyun taking care of you as long as you cooperate,” he cooed as if Youngjae hadn’t even heard the prior conversation, though Junhong wouldn’t honestly be surprised if he hadn’t. He looked exhausted despite having just woken up, and he figured that this was caused by a combination of things, the struggle, the bite, the malnutrition, just standing at all when he hadn’t fully done so in days. 

“And if you don’t eat, we’ll just shove mush down your throat. Sounds good?” Jaehwan reached forward and grabbed the excess fabric of the thin jacket that had been shoved into Youngjae’s mouth, tugging on it so that the rest would follow, the magica swallowing rapidly as his mouth was empty again to remoisten the dryness on his tongue. “Answer,” Jaehwan growled, but no response came. Youngjae was lost, eyes having fallen shut entirely, and though he was still awake he was hardly supporting his own weight, as if the blood Jaehwan took held all of his energy as well, as if the struggle had been all he had left in him. Jaehwan took his losses and shook his head, motioning to the cage. Himchan’s face lit with relief as he nearly had to drag Youngjae’s feet across the floor to get him back, pushing him into the cage and closing the door once he fell limp within the enclosure. 

“Let’s discuss this further in the living room,” Jaehwan stated, and the warmth, the fakeness from earlier, was entirely erased. He didn’t seem pleased with Youngjae’s condition nor with his behavior, and Junhong bit his lip, relieved that neither of the elder vampires seemed to notice that he didn’t follow them back out of the room immediately. Would he take Youngjae away if he felt like he wasn’t being taken care of properly here..? That wasn’t something that could happen, not if Junhong actually planned to tell Jongup where they were. He intended to comfort Youngjae by being here, but Youngjae didn’t even really notice him and in this moment when he expected tears and fury, the human’s heart rate had already slowed like he was sleeping, his breath had softened in seconds. 

Junhong reached into the cage without hesitation and worked the blanket out from under the human’s legs, bringing it up and spreading it over his body. Maybe he’d grab a pillow or something from his room after Jaehwan left and bring it in, since Youngjae always rested his head on his arm like this while he slept. But that was something to consider when things settled down, and they were very much not settled yet. Following minute-old footsteps, he made his way into the living room and fell into the large armchair adjacent to the couch, curling up similarly to how Daehyun was though it was relatively uncomfortable with how long his legs were. Jaehwan had fallen back into the couch and Himchan was leaning back against the kitchen island. Daehyun was nowhere to be found, and Junhong couldn’t sense him anywhere in the house. 

“Like I said, it needs to be fed. At least two meals a day consisting of a protein and something to sweeten the blood.”

“Isn’t it already sweet?” Himchan asked. He looked exhausted, though he too only woke up just around seven hours ago. Jaehwan shook his head, “Sweeter. Sweeter is always better with feeders. Sweeter and prettier is the best way to get frequent clients, which is my intention with this one.” Junhong’s chest felt tight, his skin was cold. Hopelessness was probably the closest word to what he was feeling, but it seemed closer to not having a roof above his head. The rain soaking him, weighing him down, making him tremble, and yet the rain was only a distant sound above him, the water making his body so cold and heavy being non-existent. 

“It needs to be hydrated for one, that’s the main issue that I tasted. If nothing else, make sure it drinks. Fruit is best for the sweetness, you could also go with chocolate. Protein is important as well to keep it energized properly and from getting irritable from hunger. You may enjoy quiet, Himchan, but I’d rather have a loud feeder than one that’ll die if you drink too much. You can at least gag it if it’s loud.” 

Himchan nodded, accepting his scoldings quietly. Junhong watched the two silently, doing a rather good job in not existing for the past hour or so. Jaehwan knew a lot about blood and human bodily function, but that was to be expected if he had twenty-six feeders already. “Be sure to actually clip its nails and make sure you do follow through on your threats,” Jaehwan warned. “Control is essential to most animals, humans and vampires especially included. See it as dominance. Since it can’t use its magic and its locked up, it’ll try to fight for any control it can muster. Don’t be an adversary or you’ll just make it want to fight you. Care for it, go through with what you say, be reliable so that it has to lean on you to find any sort of comfort. That’s what’ll have it trained.” 

Jaehwan actually suggesting being nice to Youngjae wasn’t something Junhong had expected, and he watched Himchan’s eyes fill with both surprise and disdain at the thought. “Jaehwan, I don’t mean any offense but I really am not fond of this human. It manipulated Daehyun and injured Junhong. I don’t know if I have it in me to nurture something like that.” 

“Then have one of your children do it. The rest of mine are busy with other tasks, so it’s not like they can deal with this. I’m trusting you, Himchan, this magica is my biggest investment. I’ll be back here in a little less than two weeks, so promise me that it’ll be calm and healthy when I return. Himchan bowed his head, but gave a subtle, pouty nod. “Daehyun should be willing,” he sighed, and Jaehwan shrugged. “Then I’ll rely on Daehyun. Furthermore, keep me updated on those other two hunters that this one came from if you see them. The council announced their group as a legitimate issue to our community, what with how many of our brethren that they’ve murdered. I’ll update you about it in a few days.” He then stood, reaching his arms in front of him and sighing at the stretch. “Either way, I’m ready to leave so I’ll go ahead and do that. Thank you for letting me visit, Himchan. I’m pleased with this human. I figure I’ll be more pleased when it’s been trained a little better.” 

Jaehwan left and Himchan didn’t say a word to Junhong before tossing him the key to the handcuffs, walking off to his bedroom, and closing the door behind him, probably ready to go to bed and forget about the exhausting day that had happened. Junhong was the opposite. So much was on his mind, it was keeping him on high alert despite the storm having already blown past. He sat within the curve of the armchair for what only felt like minutes before the front door was opening again, slamming shut in a casual yet loud fashion that only Daehyun ever mustered correctly. 

There was a pause between them when their eyes met, Daehyun’s ruby irises searching for something that he couldn’t find in the depths of Junhong’s pink ones before he swallowed and paced closer to the couch. “How… did it go?” 

How did it go? Youngjae was injured, even if just minimally. He was too weak to even stay awake, but that wasn’t so much Jaehwan’s fault as it was his own for not eating and Himchan’s for not letting him eat. “Jaehwan… well. He said that Youngjae needs to be fed better and treated better.” Daehyun’s eyebrows came together in confusion, and Junhong lowered his gaze to the floor, shrugging halfheartedly. “But on the other side, he made a lot of threats and… uh…”

“Did he hurt him?” Daehyun asked, slow and cautious. Junhong didn’t answer, simply standing and following like a ghost in Daehyun’s marching footsteps as the elder threw himself towards the bedroom, already crouched beside the cage when Junhong got there, sighing thickly upon seeing the scratches on Youngjae’s face. “Fucking asshole,” he whispered, but there was little spite to the tone. Maybe he’d expected worse, Junhong certainly had. “He’s really, really malnourished, Dae,” Junhong explained quietly as to not wake the sleeping human. “Jaehwan didn’t drink much but he still nearly passed out.” 

“I’ll get him eating,” Daehyun stated like it was a simple task, sighing before reaching into his back pocket and pulling out a key. Immediately alarms went off in Junhong’s head. “Did…. Does Himchan know that you have that?” Himchan didn’t want Daehyun being able to let Youngjae out, but here he was, key in hand. “I made a spare from the one he has while he was sleeping,” Daehyun shrugged like it didn’t really matter. “Don’t freak out, I’m not letting him run. I don’t think he could if he wanted to.” Daehyun then pulled the cage door open, crawling half in and shaking Youngjae’s shoulder. The human curled into himself but Daehyun just kept shaking. “Youngjae, it’s me. Let’s get you something to eat okay? Then you can sleep.” Junhong had said something similar before but Youngjae just told him to fuck off. However now the human’s eyes fluttered open and he didn’t struggle when Daehyun pulled him into his arms, out of the cage. He didn’t attempt to break free or run as if he knew he wouldn’t make it far, and that was evident because the second Daehyun lifted him to his feet he collapsed to his knees. 

Daehyun and Junhong both dropped with him, checking for damage, but there was none. “Can you stand?” Junhong asked worriedly. Youngjae didn’t respond, but he didn’t have to. His eyes were narrowed and he was chewing at his lip, but the fact that no one was holding him in place and he wasn’t attempting to fight or run meant that he probably didn’t think he was capable of it. 

“Jun, could you grab something light from the pantry?” Daehyun asked over his shoulder, and Junhong hurried to do so. He came back with a packet of fruit gummies, three slices of bread, and a big cup of water, because despite how much he disliked Jaehwan, the man knew what he was talking about when it came to such a topic as human health. Daehyun had helped Youngjae to his bed and the human was already curling up into the pillows, closing his eyes like he was planning to sleep again, as if his goal lately was just to sleep away his life. Was it just exhaustion, or was it the same hopelessness that Junhong had felt before, just amplified by so much? 

“No, no sleeping,” Daehyun muttered, pulling Youngjae up. The human softly muttered, “Don’t touch me,” and as requested, Daehyun let go. Youngjae leaned his back against the headboard, not arguing when Junhong placed the small plate of bread and gummies right on his lap, the water on the bedside table. Junhong shifted in his pocket until he found the tiny key and handed it to Daehyun who didn’t hesitate to reach behind Youngjae and fidget with the handcuffs until they were only linked to one wrist. It didn’t have to be said that running would be futile so neither of them bothered with it, letting Youngjae’s hands free as he stared at the plain food quietly. 

“Don’t say you’re not hungry,” Junhong pleaded. “You’re exhausted like this because you haven’t eaten.” 

“That’s not why,” Youngjae muttered, and his voice was so soft, so fragile from the loud confidence that it had been on his first day here. “I want.. I need to go home.” 

Daehyun then reached forward, and Junhong wanted to warn him that Youngjae said not to touch him but the magica didn’t respond when the vampire folded their hands together. He lifted Youngjae’s hand up and turned it so that his wrist was upward, revealing and two separate, small tattoos, green and red. He pressed his own finger against one of them, the red one, then moving to the green before Youngjae was jerking his hand back, holding it close to his chest. “You feel those every few minutes. Your family, they’re still with you through those tattoos, right?” Youngjae shook his head no, and Junhong agreed. It wasn’t the same. Sure, he could be assured that they were alive, but that was only steps better than knowing that he’d never see them again, which was fact by this point. 

“Well, to them, that heartbeat is everything. They can feel yours right?” A slow nod. “You’re alive, Youngjae, and that’s what’s going to keep them going until they can find you.” Junhong blinked up, Youngjae did as well, but Daehyun’s gaze didn’t falter. “Your heartbeat right now is slow and kind of faint. Don’t you think they can tell?” No answer, but Youngjae blinked back down to the food before picking up one of the gummies and pressing it against his own lips, giving himself a second or two before finally pushing it into his mouth. Daehyun smiled, Junhong did as well, because even though Youngjae looked miserable and broken this was a step. 

“They’re not just sitting around. They have hope, Youngjae, I can promise you that. You have to have hope too.” 

Youngjae chewed slowly and it took him an hour to clear the small plate, to drink half of the water in the cup before muttering that he couldn’t finish it. His fingers fell to his tattoos while Daehyun pulled the plate from his lap, and Junhong took it to the kitchen. When he returned, Youngjae was laying down again, seeming smaller in such a large, messy bed, and Daehyun whispered that he was going to sleep on the couch tonight. Junhong followed him out, feeling exhaustion ebbing at his mind, at his body, following the relief that Youngjae might be okay.

His mind was made up, though, Daehyun’s words about keeping hope not going to waste on any of the people who heard them. Himchan didn’t have to know if he told the hunters where Youngjae was, not if it happened while Himchan was out collecting blood bags from the feeder houses, which usually took a good four hours or so. If himself and Daehyun also left the house, that would give the hunters a perfect opportunity to come in, take Youngjae, and get out. They could leave the key lying out, they could distract Himchan in the search while the hunters left town. Sure, Jaehwan would be pissed, but could he really blame it on them if they supposedly had nothing to do with it? 

He opened his laptop once his door closed, the light flooding onto his face, and the message box to Daseot, to Jongup, was already open. 

 

Mul: ‘We live close, right? I was wondering if I could meet you in person.’ 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shut_the_jongup totally predicted that Youngjae would be malnourished and when I saw their comment I was like “soon.tm” but it surprised me that they accurately guessed what would happen next so yay. Also I promise on my life Yongguk and Jongup are gonna get a big part in the next chapter. I didn’t expect this specific part to take up so much room, but this chapter is almost 6,500 words right now and any longer will make it draggy. Next chapter will be eventful so stay tuned <3 Thank you for reading~


	25. Reality

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote like 3000 words and then didn’t like it and deleted it all, so hopefully this chapter seems okay <3 On another note, some of my stories have gone months without updates and it flies by so fast, but this one… Its only been like 11 days since I’ve last updated?? And yet it feels like forever? I was like ‘oh gosh its been weeks… but it's only been 11 days. Maybe I’m just really devoted to this story, idk. I’m a little tired and I havent proof-read anything yet and this chapter is a little shorter compared to others, so I hope it’s alright either way. Take care~

Yongguk wasn’t the type to dream about current issues. Reality at the moment was such a heavy burden, it was like his brain couldn’t quite curve the details and specifics well enough to create a picture of a recent problem while he slept. So instead it chose the things he’d pondered on for months, years, to recreate. Tonight, he didn’t dream of Youngjae nor of Jongup. He dreamed of his gun and the first time he used it.

The first time Yongguk shot a gun was not on a vampire. The first time Yongguk injured someone, it also was not a vampire. He was long used to throwing fists and knew how to swipe a knife in a way that would cut deeper if it made contact before he’d even approached the VED, before the Red Moon Massacre was yet a reality.

Reality for Yongguk in the year before the massacre and long before was different. If someone had told him at the time that he’d practically be an older brother figure for two ‘kids,’ fighting vampires in some hunter group, he’d tell them to shut the fuck up. Vampires were just myths in that world after all, and he had no reason to give a shit about anyone that wasn’t himself or his boyfriend. His father was an addict, an asshole, someone who could die for all he cared, someone he sometimes even wished would keel over when the screaming got too obnoxious and his face was bruised again. His sister smoked in the house and brought one-night partners over who would steal CDs and his late mother’s jewelry from the house when they left, his brother, his twin, only came home to take money from the safe in the middle of the night. But that was life. His family was one that fended for itself, and when they were all in one room together it was hell. He spent his time avoiding the drama, but how could he in such a bad neighborhood, in such a dysfunctional family?

The first time he fired a gun, it was to protect some kid that was cornered in an alleyway. He didn’t know why he even fought that night, but the look on the girl’s face, her eyes wide as dollar coins and her hands trembling as she held them beside her head, it wasn’t something he could just ignore. He’d swung his knife until her attackers were bloodied and furious, until she was running out of the alley without hesitation and he didn’t blame her for getting the hell out of there without sparing a second to speak with him. The gun was held in his direction and he stepped to the side right as the bang echoed. The sound was what did it. His body was used to knives, used to cuts, used to the basic adrenaline of a basic fight. But a gunshot was something it was very not used to. His heart raced, he grabbed the asshole’s wrist, wrenched the gun from his hands, and held it up. In his dream, he remembered the pounding in his chest, the ringing still lingering throughout his ears, the kid’s hands shooting up and his voice pleading, “Hey man, don’t shoot, okay, it was just a misunderstanding.”

He shot. He shot a foot and a half away from the kid’s head, the bullet making a strange, dull noise as it buried itself into the stucco wall behind him. The attackers ran like rabbits, and Yongguk stood, a gun limp in his fingers that were numb, his wrist numb, his mind numb, ringing in a screeching pitch. He kept the gun, the gun that was now on his bedside table, the one he took out on hunts every now and again.

As the sun descended, his eyes flickered open and even after waking he was tired. Reality didn’t take long to flutter back and its weight was enough to make his chest feel compressed. Jongup was asleep in the other room, and he almost assumed that Youngjae was too. Almost.

What were they to do? It had been almost a week, and the time dragged on as if was being hauled by something that couldn’t take the weight. They hadn’t found any coven, let alone the one they were searching for. A whisper in his mind permeated his thoughts for the twentieth time, and he didn’t shove it aside this time, letting it whisper.

His subconscious spoke of a reality that he didn’t want to accept. Youngjae may not be savable. He could be anywhere and they weren’t capable of searching for him past the city. There wasn’t a trail, and every day that passed put a pressure of loss on both Yongguk and Jongup, a pressure that would build until it exploded or fizzled, until they’d break down or give up. His fingers grazed over the small, yellow tattoo and the pulse was slow. Was he already being used as a feeder? It wouldn’t be that surprising. Yongguk’s chest felt tight, his throat was thick as he curled up in his bed and pulled the blankets a little tighter, torturing himself by holding his fingers on this little tattoo. It would almost be better if Youngjae wasn’t alive, he thought selfishly before smacking sense into himself. In that way, he wouldn’t be able to do anything, he wouldn’t be able to blame himself like this. They had to find him, they absolutely had to keep trying no matter if it was impossible or not. The search was exhausting, the guilt, the pressure, but they couldn’t give up on him.

Why? Yongguk could answer that easily. Youngjae and Jongup were his first family, if his boyfriend’s family from before didn’t count (and Jongup was still a part of that one as well). They were a family he went out of his way to make, and both of them wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for him initially saving them. Doing so put a responsibility on his shoulders that he had to keep them safe, no matter how dangerous their lives were as hunters. Youngjae being alive was a light at the end of a tunnel that he didn’t know the length of. Would the light go out before he reached its source? Would Youngjae die before they could find him? Would they give up first?

Yongguk couldn’t do what the director requested, he couldn’t selfishly remove his tattoo and pretend like Youngjae was gone for good. No matter how hopeless it was, spending night after night walking around the town with the stupid watch and an anxious Jongup, he wouldn’t stop doing it until it wielded results. And if the day came where he put his fingers to the yellow tattoo and felt nothing…

He threw the blankets off, shoving himself from his bed and grabbing his pants off the floor, slipping them on within a number of seconds. He couldn’t comprehend the answer, and he didn’t want to try. Youngjae would live. He had to. Yongguk hadn’t saved him in that alley, hadn’t grown close to him, hadn’t trained him and fought with him and laughed and cried with him, just for him to die alone and afraid. No matter what the director said, no matter what reality said, no matter what even reason said, he would drag Youngjae back through hell if he had to.

The kitchen light was on when he walked out, and he didn’t expect to see Jongup already awake despite the sun still shining reddish light through the living room window, casting shadows from the couch and table onto the rug and wood floors. The younger’s plaid sleep pants were long enough to almost cover his bare feet, his shirt was loose enough to slip down one shoulder and his eyes were dull as they’d always been lately as he was hypnotized by the water in the pot. Yongguk sighed as he noted that the water was fully boiling, bubbles rising, expanding, popping, and how Jongup went without blinking for thirty seconds before Yongguk was stepping to his side to turn down the heat. “Uppie,” he sighed sympathetically. Jongup jumped, startled by the distraction before seeming to realize how lost he’d been in the first place, abashedly sighing, ‘Sorry. I was thinking.’

Yongguk didn’t ask what he was thinking about, he didn’t have to. He pushed the dry pasta over to the younger, who dumped it into the water and stirred, Yongguk noting how his eyes faded once more, how the swirl of his wrist slowed until Jongup was holding the wooden spoon still in the pot, watching the bubbles pop. After all, they had a hunt today, the first hunt since Youngjae disappeared, one made mandatory by the director who firmly stated that people still needed to be saved even as they grieved.

Coincidentally, they were raiding a suspected feeder house today, joining three other hunter teams in doing so. Yongguk wondered if they’d find Youngjae, the thought almost laughable, then uncomfortable, then disgusting to him. He didn’t want to find him there. He wanted to find him fighting for his life, tooth and nail, he wanted to find the Youngjae that was fire incarnate, loud and irritable. He didn’t want to find a mellow feeder with fragile, honey eyes. But considering the circumstances, finding Youngjae at all would be better than this awful suspense, than the drop in his chest every time he felt that heartbeat and recognized easily how slow and weak it was.

 

\---------------------------------------------------------

 

The hunt was successful, but was it? Jongup sighed as he collapsed onto the old, mushy couch, grabbing the first aid kit from the coffee table and popping it open without a second glance, taking a sterile pad and dabbing at a rather deep cut on his forearm. Vampires had fucking sharp nails, he determined for the nth time, but his mind had other thoughts to press on him. They didn’t find Youngjae at the feeder house. He hadn’t wanted to and yet it was still disappointing. Finding him at all would be something, even if such a scenario wouldn’t be ideal. Amongst ten humans with bites like scabbing freckles on their necks and eyes that were tired and dull, ten humans that they practically had to carry out after sitting still for so long, after losing so much blood for so long, Youngjae had not been one of them. This was a good thing emotionally, but that just meant that one more night passed without finding him.

It wasn’t strange and yet it was, how solid his mind had been on Youngjae’s disappearance. It was like every other thought was circled around this one, around his so-called brother going missing, and Jongup had cried when he considered that he couldn’t get Youngjae off his mind because he couldn’t accept losing someone so important to him again. His brother’s cold, dead eyes, his stiff body, his screams before he’d died… Jongup had nightmares of that moment with Youngjae’s form being torn up and sucked on instead, and he’d wake up in a sweat, stare at the empty bed across the room, and hate himself for letting the elder leave that night.

He opened his laptop by habit despite not really wanting to play any games or listen to any music, and that was when he saw the notification. There was a three second debate on whether to even click on it. He was tired, and once upon a time talking to Mul would ease that exhaustion, but he could barely drag himself to brush his teeth or eat lately, let alone talking to someone who wasn’t Yongguk.

But he opened the tab and clicked on the message, waiting for the ‘how are you feeling?’ or a ‘hello.’

 

Mul: ‘We live close, right? I was wondering if I could meet you in person.’

 

Oh. Jongup stared at the words for seconds, a minute, two, then three, trying to process them correctly. He wanted to meet. After months, Mul wanted to meet.

It wasn’t an unusual request of online friends who lived in the same city, but it was an unusual timing for such a request. Mul did remember Jongup explaining… everything… right? It wasn’t a good time to hang out with friends when he was busy searching for his missing teammate and trying to keep Seoul’s streets safe from infestation. He didn’t even know how to respond, whether he wanted to say no or not, whether he even wanted to meet in the first place.

 

Daseot: ‘Um… that’s really sudden…’

 

Mul wasn’t online. He wouldn’t be able to respond, and that was inconvenient for Jongup who had nothing else to convince him in either direction when his mind could barely comprehend something that wasn’t fighting or searching lately. He was fond of Mul, that was easy to be said, and maybe it would be nice to take a breather and meet with someone ‘normal’. But what would that do to their relationship? And could he even take a break without feeling guilty?

 

Daseot: ‘I’m not sure if its a good idea. I’m really stressed lately for reasons I’ve explained, I probably wouldn’t be very fun to talk to right now.’

 

Suddenly a green dot appeared next to Mul’s name, and Jongup’s heart skipped a beat as he really hadn’t expected him to log on, had figured he’d gone to sleep early or something. Maybe the notifications of the double messages had woken him up…?

 

Mul: ‘I don’t know how to explain this well, but its kind of important.’

 

Important..? He placed his fingers on the keyboard to respond, but he didn’t get the chance to even form a word.

 

Mul: 'I need to tell you that I’m not who I’ve been saying I am either.’

 

Oh. He blinked, once, twice, tried to curl his fingers, his mind, around the words and hit a dead end. Mul wasn’t a high schooler then..? If not, was he a hunter as well? Why was it so important that they meet anyway? If it was important enough that Mul figured he should ask even knowing that Jongup was struggling so much, it had to be something worth typing an explanation for at the very least.

 

Mul: ‘And I’m scared that you’ll hate me when you know who I am, but I thought really hard about it. Even if I lose you as a friend, even if you hate me, I can’t live with my eyes closed any longer.’

 

Jongup felt cold, he felt a little nauseous, and he just wished that Mul would get to the point already because this type of dodgy talking was only spiking his already peaked anxiety levels. Who the hell could he be that Jongup would hate him? Jongup couldn’t think of a single person alive that he hated, he barely even interacted with anyone else to begin with. Maybe someone from before the Red Moon, when bullies existed, but he didn’t really care about old grudges in a new life. What did he mean by not being able to live with eyes closed…?

A new message appeared, and Jongup felt his body go numb as this time he instantly absorbed the words, took them to the chest like a dagger.

 

Mul: ‘I know that your name is Jongup. And I know where Youngjae is. Let’s meet tomorrow night, 2 am, and please don’t bring your other brother.’

 

\--------------------------------------------------------

 

The ceiling spun when he opened his eyes, his brain felt knotted and Youngjae squeezed his eyes shut only seconds after opening them. This wasn’t unusual lately, waking in such shitty condition, but he noted with a tightness in his chest that it was progressively getting worse. His arms, his legs, his entire body felt numb and weak, his stomach tight enough that he could feel it, that he could feel his heartbeat by touching his hands to his skin-

His hands…? He opened his eyes and waited nearly a full minute for the world to stabilize and return to clarity before he slowly lifted himself from the nest of pillows his head had been buried in. The bed was soft, plush, and he’d give anything to sink back into it, but there were bigger things to consider. His heartbeat picked up, he could feel it, as he felt the handcuffs linked to his left wrist and not his right, as he moved both hands independently. Daehyun must’ve forgotten to re-latch them, which meant that he was in no way restrained to this bed. Treating himself like glass, Youngjae slowly pushed the comforter off, shivering as the cold air of a warm summer darted to his skin. He remembered learning in high school about malnutrition bringing cold, bringing weakness and told his mind to shut up and think about more important things, the fact that this might be his chance to break free.

That was, if he could gain his balance. He put half of his weight into his legs and his knees threatened to buckle, he swallowed and dug his fingers into both the bedside table and the mattress behind him and put a little more pressure per second until he was standing. Now was walking. He shot his head to the side to glance at how far away the door was and his head spun, he was leaning, stumbling, nearly collapsing but catching his balance right in time. How fucked up was he just from not standing or eating much..? If this was the reason why he couldn’t escape, he would be pissed at himself. No, he had to get out. If this door wasn’t locked, if Daehyun had truly thought that he wouldn’t run, that he couldn’t, then he would be free. Yongguk, Jongup… thinking of them, he forced his legs into a momentum of steps until they understood the concept and began to properly hold him. He reached out, the doorknob was warm under his cold hand, he turned his wrist…

And the door opened.

Barefoot, neck kissed with blood and scabbed with bites, eyes weary and skin plagued with tiny bumps from the non-existent cold, Youngjae stepped out into an unfamiliar hallway, made his way towards an unfamiliar living room, found a door that looked like an exit and unlocked it. It opened silently, but he didn’t hesitate in case the vampires were awake, because if they were they’d absolutely hear his heartbeat moving, his footsteps. Without a moment to waste, Youngjae breathed in fresh air for the first time in forever, stepped out into the sun, steeled himself to focus on not dropping to the ground…

And he ran.


	26. Hazel

The sunlight trickled through a thick layer of leaves and branches above, and Youngjae was grateful for the shade as he ran in stumbles away from the door he’d exited from. His legs felt numb, like if he tried to slow down or pace himself he’d collapse, and it wasn’t worth the risk. The vampires were likely asleep, and it wasn’t like they’d be chasing him with the sunlight still shining despite how the maze of trees and brambles were well coated in the shadows. He didn’t have too much faith though. The sky was a smear of orange and pink, the shadows were pitch in comparison. It was sunset, he determined, and his heartbeat pounded as twigs jabbed through his socks into his feet, as branches scraped at his arms. 

The forest was not one meant to be traversed, this was an obvious fact. The vampires didn’t necessarily need to run like he did when they could just flit around, meaning that there probably wasn’t an easier path to take rather than running straight ahead like he was doing. He had to slow to step over a fallen, mossy branch, around a stump, dodging thorns, and he almost tripped over his feet a number of times. He almost felt drugged with how heavy his body was and how drastically light his head felt, like a balloon tied to cement, both tugging in opposite directions. His body begged for sleep despite how much sleep he’d gotten recently, his mind screamed at him to run faster despite how his legs were jelly and his breaths were faint. The sun was kissing the treetops; He had no issue noting its bright red form and easily could see how it was gradually descending, a natural timer until the vampires would wake and find him gone, until they would track him down. For the millionth time he cursed the scent of his blood, the scent of his magic. He couldn’t have faith in his stamina to run far enough to escape their senses, they’d smell him out or follow his heartbeat if he tried to hide in this forest. His best bet was to find someone, anyone human, and have them call the VED; At least in this way if he were captured again he’d know that hunters (preferrably Yongguk and Jongup) knew of his location and would be on their way to find him. 

The sun was drooping further downward minute by minute, and Youngjae wished that he could at least figure out where the break to this forest was. The trees were endless and he couldn’t make out any road noise, anything other than birds chirping and crickets squawking somewhere nearby. His heart was racing, the desperation, the anxiety overwhelming. His breaths were shallow and fast and he couldn’t slow them if he tried, It was getting late, it was getting far, far too late! How far had he gone? Was it far enough for them to not be able to hear, smell, or otherwise sense him? Was it far enough that they wouldn’t be able to follow his steps? He couldn’t tell, he had no way of knowing, and now that the sun had dripped below the treetops his timer was out of sight. 

It was hot as hell, though he doubted that it really was. His body was cold constantly from what he assumed was malnutrition. It wasn’t blood loss at least, that was something he could be thankful for. No matter how much he’d starved and how little he’d moved around lately, if he could just push himself to make it out of this forest, to somewhere civilized, he’d be okay. 

The sky was darkening when he saw the treeline break into sky, and he sighed in relief. His vision was beginning to swim and he wasn’t sure if he was going to make it before, but seeing the first hurdle so close ahead gave him another boost, and he ran as fast as he could, no longer focusing on the twigs cutting into his feet or the exhaustion wrecking through his body. Trees whisked past him, he grazed his shoulder on the sharper bark of one and heard his sleeve rip, but it didn’t matter, he was out…! 

Youngjae rushed through the last of the forest, shoving aside the bush blocking his path and jumping over brambles, stumbling when he landed until he was collapsing onto his knees. The world was spinning but he had no trouble noting what made his heart fall from its pedestal, the sight cast before him. There were no buildings. There were no roads. On the outskirts of the exit he took, there was a field of rocks and ledges. On the other side, more forest. 

With trembling legs, Youngjae attempted to stand and collapsed again, his body having the strength before to propel him forward into a run but not having enough strength to lift his weight back up to his feet. The air around him was cooling down but he could barely tell, not when it all felt like a furnace. Sweat tickled down his lip, he felt like vomiting but doubted that he had the strength to do even that. He couldn’t stop here, not with how dark the sky was now, he couldn’t go back there..! 

He blinked once, twice, and then his eyes refused to open any further. Collapsed in the gravel, exhaustion overwhelmed desperation, and Yoo Youngjae’s world faded to black. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------

The first time that he saw him, Daehyun knew that he was special. It wasn’t the scent, it wasn’t the scenario. It was those eyes, a hazel brown that shouldn’t be natural on him, the glow of a hotel’s chandelier whisking against them despite the weakness, the pain, that dulled them. Black hair that puffed over his forehead, milky skin, and Daehyun was so curious of the human that had caused such destruction to the vampire laying dead at his side. 

So he promised to follow him, scared the human half to death in doing so. And he did, in fact, follow him. He stalked Yoo Youngjae in the following days after the Lee Gunwoo incident like he was hunting, but for the first time in a while, Daehyun had no intention to bite his prey. Why would he? He didn’t want to be seared to a crisp. It probably wasn’t even smart to go anywhere near this human, not the human with so much power and not enough sanity at the time to contain it. Bodyguards hunted him down, every night that Daehyun found him he’d have another wound, his limp was increased, and Daehyun wondered why it saddened him so to consider that this human might be dead by the time he woke up the next night. 

But Jung Daehyun was a rather simple man, a vampire too old to be fueled by such human emotions and yet- 

And yet. When he woke up on that last night and went out, when he saw the human leaned against the bloodied brick wall of a dirty alley, when he saw the light about to fade from such beautiful, such painfully familiar eyes, he couldn’t take it. The first time Jung Daehyun saw Yoo Youngjae, he spared him, he let him go free. The second time Jung Daehyun saw Yoo Youngjae, he actually saved him. He killed a vampire and seven men to do so, the first kills he’d ever made that weren’t for food. He did regret them, he still doesn’t. Not even as his dream played a cinema picture in his mind, not even as he relived that moment for the fiftieth time. Himchan would kill him if he knew of that night, but Daehyun even still didn’t regret it. 

He didn’t regret pushing Chanyeol off Youngjae at the park. He didn’t regret those nights when he’d spray himself down with bug spray just to get the chance to talk to this human who he’d put so much effort in out of simple curiosity that turned into something much more complicated over time. He didn’t regret kissing Youngjae under the light of a hazel moon, not when Youngjae just slightly kissed back, so barely that the human probably didn’t even realize it. He did regret betraying him, he did regret the days after, these recent days. Were things truly out of his control? No matter how much he thought on it, he couldn’t find a solution that didn’t result in more pain for everyone involved. Let Youngjae go and Jaehwan would just capture him again, put him in a worse place, and Himchan would suffer for Daehyun’s betrayal. And yet not letting Youngjae go was a knife in his chest, considering his future if he didn’t somehow escape it before Jaehwan decided it was time to take his prize. Saving Youngjae from the feeder house? Would Youngjae even still be himself after such a traumatic experience? This alone, being locked up and separated from his family, being threatened and injured, it had all mellowed him with fear that put Daehyun in a depression far unlike him. Youngjae was a wildfire. How could he watch such a blaze be tamed and not feel the urge to do something about it? 

Daehyun’s eyes whisked open long after he’d actually woken, his dream fading into thoughts too deep for sleep. The couch was stiff against his back, and he slowly lifted from it, curled his arms around his chest and sighed. It was still early into the night, and Himchan, Junhong, probably wouldn’t be awake for another thirty minutes, perhaps another hour. He didn’t know why he himself was awake, but he couldn’t drift back to sleep. It was miserable, how he’d somehow fallen for the least convenient human of them all, one that surely hated him now, one that would surely wilt into the same emptiness that all of Jaehwan’s feeders held. 

But something was off about tonight, and he couldn’t quite tell what until he sighed and the air he inhaled afterwards didn’t smell like honey. A tension creeped past his gut and into his still heart, and he sprang up from the couch, hurried steps guiding him to the bedroom. The tension dropped like a boulder. The door was cracked open. Hadn’t Junhong locked it behind him?! Daehyun threw the door out of his way, darted into the room and stood in the middle of it, eyes wide as they slipped from the empty cage to the empty bed, scanned the empty room as dread and something else swallowed up his being. He hadn’t cuffed Youngjae to the bed so that he could sleep well, hadn’t put him the cage so he could get a good night’s rest for the first time in almost two weeks. He hadn’t done these things, but he had told Junhong to lock the door as he left. Did he forget, or did he… did he really… intentionally… 

There wasn’t time for thoughts like that. Daehyun whipped around and ran to the front door, throwing it open and darting out into the early night. Youngjae had to be nearby, there was no way he could’ve made it far. If only Youngjae were healthy, Daehyun would probably have curled into himself and let the bird fly free, let him escape. If Youngjae were healthy, if he had a chance, Daehyun would’ve given him the freedom he craved. 

But Youngjae was not healthy. He could barely stand when Daehyun had last interacted with him, could barely eat, could barely stay awake. They weren’t the only vampires in the area, such a rural location being ideal for creatures that weren’t as fond of the city like Himchan wasn’t. If Youngjae was collapsed somewhere, if another vampire got to him…! Daehyun flew, darted like a shadow through the forest that held no resistance against his inhuman agility. Youngjae couldn’t have gotten far, he had to be nearby, he had to be-

A sweetness wafted through the air, heavy and lulling, and Daehyun turned to follow it, sprung through the branches and brambles as if they were imaginary. Thank the heavens, thank everything, Daehyun thought, that Youngjae was still nearby. It at least meant that another vampire hadn’t found him, and it meant that he was alive. However it didn’t assure that he was okay, and Daehyun slowed to a stop as he saw a figure collapsed in the midsts of the rock trail that a barren river discarded. He jogged through the last of the forest and knelt, attempting to take Youngjae into his arms and startling as he realized how cold he was, how damp and chill his skin felt against his hands. Was he…? No, he was breathing. Perhaps the collar was sucking the heat of a fever out of his body? There wasn’t time to consider something like this, not when Youngjae’s breaths were fragile, not when his arms were scraped, his shirt was torn, not when he was sweating a storm. 

He didn’t flit when he carried Youngjae back towards the house. Instead, he took slow steps, careful to keep his arms still as they held this human close to his chest. Himchan would be furious, no doubt Youngjae and Daehyun would both suffer for this. There would be no hiding the scrapes from branches on Youngjae’s arms even if Daehyun did pretend like he’d never ran away at all. He wondered if Junhong had considered Youngjae’s weakness when he’d left the door unlocked, or perhaps it really was an accident. He’d ask when he got home, but there were bigger problems for now. 

A whimper, and Daehyun whispered, “Go back to sleep.” The words had the opposite effect, and Daehyun sighed as frail eyes were staring up at him wildly, as Youngjae began to writhe in his hold. “L… let go, let go of me, I can’t go back, I can’t-”

“Youngjae.” He felt guilty, but what choice did he have? He had to take him back or he’d suffer more, or they’d all suffer more. He had to go along with Jaehwan’s way until he found some way to keep Youngjae safe, to keep them all safe, from the vampire with so much power over them all. Youngjae glared into his eyes but it only lasted a second before his gaze was softening, and Daehyun wished that it were on his own accord. Youngjae laxed in his arms, his erratic, panicked breaths softened and slowed. Daehyun felt a knot in his chest when Youngjae curled closer to his body, sighed at the feeling of someone holding him. Glamour was such an unfair thing for vampires to possess, but Daehyun would rather Youngjae be glamoured now than be terrified. On this walk back home, he’d think of what to say to Himchan, how to soften this massive blow that would cause an eruption through the house. Junhong had done a horrible thing in letting Youngjae escape if it had been intentional. It was a direct act of disobedience, the first time he’d ever done something along those lines. Daehyun would take the blame, this was already decided. Junhong surely only had good intentions, he was far too caring after all. Daehyun on the other hand… Selfish. He was selfish, wanting Youngjae free, wanting Youngjae in his arms. 

He’d tell Himchan that it was an accident, and Himchan wouldn’t believe him. He’d argue, they’d fight, Himchan would take out his anger on Youngjae for being the dagger carving into their soft, once peaceful family, and Daehyun would do everything in his power to soften the blow. He didn’t look forward to the next few days, nor to the next few weeks. Things would calm after Jaehwan took Youngjae away, but how could he find solace in that? It hurt, considering that he could’ve just refused to play into Jaehwan’s hands, could’ve taken the hit and never captured Youngjae at all. Love? Yes, that’s what this was, but it would be so short-lived. Daehyun held the sleepy form in his arms tight to his chest, tried not to feel guilty when Youngjae whispered, “You’re really comfortable…” without probably realizing quite what he was saying. 

“Please don’t hate me later,” Daehyun found himself whispering. He was a coward. A miserable, selfish coward, and Himchan’s scoldings from before rushed into his mind. How did they come here from the soft, happy family they’d once been? Was it Daehyun’s fault for causing this eruption? If he’d just let Youngjae die that night, they wouldn’t even know that he existed. The hunters wouldn’t be such a threat, and Jaehwan wouldn’t have a craving for what didn’t exist. Youngjae wouldn’t be in pain, he wouldn’t be afraid. It hurt, but would that have been the best solution? He couldn’t know. It wasn’t how things fell into place. 

“Why would I hate you..?” a soft voice responded, and Daehyun swallowed tightly but the knot in his throat didn’t untie. “Because I did this to you,” he breathed, and his voice cracked but he didn’t care. Youngjae wouldn’t remember it, not in a glamoured state like this. “You didn’t want to,” Youngjae sighed, squeezing his eyes shut a little tighter. “I want to go home. Uppie, Yongguk, I want to go home.” Oh, right. He was delirious, and Daehyun wished he had a free hand to wipe the tear that had escaped before it whisked down his cheek. “I want you to go home too,” he finally broke out. “But that’s not in my control.”

“I know,” Youngjae mumbled softly. “I know it’s not.” Daehyun blinked and another tear fell. He hadn’t glamoured Youngjae that hard, just enough to calm him, to settle the panic that had been writhing through his mind. Did that mean… Was this conversation in the slightest bit sincere? Perhaps it was delirium from a cold fever that had Youngjae saying these things, the influence of the glamour, perhaps it wasn’t anything to listen to and believe. But Daehyun pretended like the words were honest, even if they might not be, even if they might, simply because they were comfort where his chest hurt, comfort where the guilt sprouted. 

“Please don’t take me back,” Youngjae breathed, and Daehyun shook his head slowly as the human continued, voice slurred and fragile as he spoke with his eyes still closed. “I have to go home. That vampire, I’m scared of it.” Jaehwan. Daehyun was scared of Jaehwan too, but he couldn’t admit that. “I’m going to take you back,” he admitted, though they both already knew this. “Himchan will be angry. That’s a consequence we’re both going to have to face.” Youngjae’s eyes flitted open, but they were more worn than anything, as if he knew that there was no use trying to barter for his freedom with someone who didn’t have a key to his shackles. 

“The next few days are going to be difficult. I’m really sorry, Jae.” No response, and Daehyun glanced down to note that the human was staring up at the stars, tired and dull in his gaze. “But I’m… I’m going to talk with Junhong and Himchan. If… If you want, I can talk with your family too.” 

“You must be stupid. They’ll kill you.” Youngjae muttered without an ounce of doubt or surprise in his tone. Daehyun chuckled but it hurt a little, the feeling of a laugh so wrong in his broken chest. “I’m sure they aren’t that dumb. They’ll try to get me to tell them where you are. And at this point, I might.” He didn’t expect Youngjae’s answer. 

“Don’t.” What..? “Don’t… tell them where I am,” the magica whispered. “They’ll die trying to get me out. That’s just how they are. We’re family, we’re broken when we’re apart. Himchan will kill them, that stronger vampire will. I can’t live without them, Daehyun, they’re the only thing that I keep going for anymore. If anything, tell them what’s going to happen to me. That way at least… at least they know.” Daehyun stared down at the ground as he walked. They were getting close to the house, even slow steps would take them there eventually. Youngjae was lucid, Daehyun had stopped glamouring him minutes ago, and yet… 

“Youngjae, I won’t let Jaehwan take you,” Daehyun whispered, wishing these tears would quit falling, wondering if Youngjae saw them as weakness or as honesty. “Even if he does, I’ll break you out myself if I have to. I can’t do this, this guilt. I saved you just to throw you into a hell like this, it’s my fault that you’re here in the first place.” 

He continued with a shallow, forced, painful breath. “Even if I get hurt for it, I’ll find a way to set you free and get you back home. I’m tired of this, playing into Jaehwan’s hand like this, being afraid like this. Junhong too, he’s on your side. Please, just get through the next few days. I’ll be here for you through them. We’ll do something, we’ll find something, we’ll-”

He stopped. Youngjae’s breaths had slowed, his eyes were softly closed and he had slowly slackened in Daehyun’s grip. Asleep. He’d fallen asleep. The remainder of the walk back to the house was lonely and quiet. Dread, regret, exhaustion, fear, it was all so apparent and overwhelming, but he deserved it. He wouldn’t go back on his promise this time. The house was in sight, and Daehyun was fully decided by the time he was stepping up onto the porch. He was going to take Youngjae back to the hunters. He was going to betray his maker, the person who’d raised him up and promised him revenge against the man causing all of this hassle. And Himchan would forgive him because Himchan loved him. Even if it hurt to do, even if it felt wrong, Daehyun couldn’t bring himself to care anymore. With Junhong’s help or without it, with Himchan’s forgiveness or without it. 

He wouldn’t be selfish anymore, he wouldn’t be a coward anymore. And even if Youngjae never spoke to him again, even if he lost everything to Jaehwan’s childish wrath, that was the price he would pay for falling in love in the first place. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------

It was a night where the air was neither warm nor chilly and Jongup didn’t like how subtle the world felt around him. It made the park’s dewy grass and empty field seem lonelier, seem even more terrifying. He hadn’t gone out by himself in… years, not at night. Before the massacre he would catch fireflies and play with his neighbors under the stars, talk about futures that they would never have as half of them were dead and the other half gone from his life. He was comfortable with the dark then, but no longer could he find solace in the moon’s appearance, the orb being like an omen in the sky. He’d brought four knives and leaked artificial magic from his tattoos into them all, just in case. Mul was stupid to want to meet at night in such an open place. What was he thinking? If a vampire attacked, what would they do? Jongup was a hunter, he could at least fight. Was Mul a hunter too? That seemed the most likely scenario, but even still this was reckless.

His heart raced. It felt thick in his chest, and he tried to calm himself by sitting on the left swing of the swingset, rocking back and forth carefully, eyes focused on the empty area around him as if the monsters were watching from the shadows beyond from where he could see. 

“You came.” He didn’t expect the voice and nearly fell off the swingset, whipping around to find… nothing. He did a full three-sixty, his heart rate picking up, his hand drifting quickly to his pocket where his most familiar dagger rested. “Please don’t be scared,” the voice called. It was so gentle, but he couldn’t trust it. Normally his intuition was key in telling him if there was someone behind him, someone hiding near him, but he genuinely couldn’t find this person. Not, at least, until something flitted in front of him. Jongup froze, his heart stopped for a moment, and a tremble tore through his body. 

“I’m sorry for scaring you. You’re probably scared right now right? I’m really, really sorry, this isn’t… how I wanted us to meet.” No… This wasn’t it, this wasn’t true. The blonde, tall vampire in front of him was all too familiar, and he would never forget how it desperately drank from him as he laid helpless on the cold asphalt, Yongguk’s growls so muffled in the distance. Jongup stood with wide eyes, his dagger’s hilt tight between his fingers. The vampire shifted on its feet, awkward and uncomfortable. “My name is Choi Junhong. You know me as Mul. I… jeez this is the worst.” Suddenly the vampire straightened out, its eyes hardened, and Jongup slipped the dagger from his pocket the moment the creature took a step forward. Instantly it froze, not in fear but in caution as if approaching a wild animal.

“I have to apologize for biting you, for one. I realized who you were and I hate myself for how I didn’t have control that night. I’m so, so sorry Jongup.” How did it know his name…? How did this thing know about Mul, know about his name, if… unless… There was no way it could be true… 

“For two, there’s something important I have to tell you. That’s why I called you here like this so suddenly. Even if this ruins our friendship, I realized…” he sighed. “It doesn’t matter. Jongup, I know where Youngjae is.” Youngjae. The world stopped spinning for a moment, his clouded mind cleared, and the shock was evident on his face. “And I can tell you, but only if you promise me something.”

Anything. It didn’t matter that this was a barter with a vampire. Jongup’s fingers slipped from his dagger and closed around his other wrist, where he could feel through a yellow tattoo a heartbeat pounding softly. The fear, the worry, the strain, it had been so much. Youngjae was alive, if this was a lead to getting him out of whatever hell he was in right now, Jongup would take the bait. The vampire rocked on its feet again before softly muttering, “You don’t have to stand shocked like that. We can… sit down? I’m sorry if this is startling, that wasn’t my intention.” 

Jongup then realized why the vampire seemed so awkward, and with trembling hands he brought out his phone and began to type before holding out the screen. The vampire almost had trouble reading his words with how much the phone shook in his grip, but slowly its pink eyes grew wide, drifting from the screen to Jongup’s face, scanning it with shock and pity that Jongup absolutely hated seeing so often. “You… can’t talk…” That was what he said, yes. The vampire, Choi Junhong, then shook off such a realization, guilt apparent on its face as it paced to the nearby swings and collapsed into the one Jongup had been sitting in just minutes ago. 

“My master, you met him that night…” Right, the vampire that had assaulted Yongguk, himself, the vampire with cold eyes and a hard fist. “He’s actually not that horrible. He hates humans though, and he specifically hates Youngjae. It’s… complicated. Did Youngjae ever tell you about Daehyun?” Jongup glared at the ground. He wanted this vampire to get to the point, and he began typing that out, Junhong biting his lip and cutting himself off when he realized the frustration in Jongup’s gaze. “It doesn’t matter, you want to know where he is right? I have conditions though.” Junhong then began to rock in the swing. His long legs dragged through the wood chips underneath the bars, and Jongup stood still and awkward right in front of him. 

“First, you can’t kill either of my family. Daehyun or Himchan. You should understand, they’re as close to me as your family is close to you.” Jongup scoffed, but the vampire didn’t flinch this time, didn’t seem afraid of upsetting or scaring him anymore as his words were more important than the tension in the air. “Second, you three absolutely need to move out of this city, even out of this country, when you get him back. There’s a vampire out of our control that will harm both your family and mine after you get Youngjae back. This is a warning to protect you, not a threat.” Jongup froze. Would the VED let them move? It didn’t matter. Conditions like this were nothing in comparison to Youngjae’s safety being jeopardized. Yongguk would be mad at him for going out to talk to this vampire, but Jongup didn’t doubt that Yongguk would run into a vampire’s lair to save Youngjae just like he himself wouldn’t. His family, his brother, his teammate. Anything to get him back. 

“Do you agree?” Jongup was about to nod before considering that he might be making such a drastic decision too quickly. The vampire noted his hesitation and sighed. “If you’re wondering why I’m helping you, this is hurting us too. Daehyun especially. He loves Youngjae, and I care about his well being too. Vampires aren’t all evil, you know?” The words made Jongup uncomfortable. He didn’t want to think about motive right now when this could easily be a trap. He thought more as the vampire spoke words that he didn’t listen to, before finally typing his final answer. 

‘You come back with me to my house. I will kill you if you’re a threat. You’ll talk to Yongguk and you’ll convince us why we should trust you.’ 

The vampire swallowed, slowed on the swing until it came to a complete stop. Jongup had just invited a vampire into their home, and the vampire was probably either shocked or considering its options before slowly responding, “Okay. Let’s go talk to Yongguk then.” Jongup let the vampire, Junhong, lead the way, noting how stiff it seemed with a knife pressed against its back, jabbing into its skin. It felt good to have control, but he couldn’t let himself slip. This creature was dangerous, he’d learned that firsthand. But if it were for Youngjae, even if it were a chance…. 

Yongguk would be the deciding factor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aahh… I hope this chapter is okay. I wanted to make it longer, but I have to go to work soon and wanted to be able to post another chapter within the next few days rather than a massive one tomorrow or something. I’m honestly still rather nervous about the quality of this fic, but your comments are really motivating and helpful to me. Thank you for everything <3


	27. Fear

Himchan woke to the steady beep of an alarm clock, smacking his hand down on the ‘off’ button without even looking by consistent habit. Technology was always something he’d be grateful to have; One of the many reasons why he still enjoyed his immortality was because of innovations like alarm clocks, new gadgets and trinkets appearing year by year, expanding the once dim-minded world he was born into. 

He stood and stretched, cracked his back, loosened up… and tensed. Something was off, but it only took him a second to realize what it was. The scent, it was dim. The magica was… 

Himchan slammed his door open, the knob hitting against the wall beside it as he marched to Daehyun’s room and glared inside, seeing exactly what he expected: Nothing. Fury throbbed in his chest, irritation pulsing through his veins. The cage door was wide open, and there was no way that human could’ve gotten out when the lock was still fully intact. It would’ve taken a key, the key that Himchan currently had in the pocket of his sweatpants. 

One of his children had somehow used his key or made a new one, and had let the human go. And only one of his two children would have such strong motive to go against his will. Himchan growled as he didn’t smell either of his children in the house either, though with a quick breath he could sense that the guilty one was nearby, probably in the yard, getting closer. Himchan turned from the empty bedroom and made quick pace towards the front door, flinging it open.

And there he was. Jung Daehyun with tear streaks shining in the subtle moonlight, staring up at Himchan tiredly. In his arms, the magica, who was either asleep or otherwise unconscious, clothes torn and the exposed parts of its arms and legs scraped and bleeding. “Himchan,” Daehyun whispered, not surprised and yet not expecting either, as if he’d hoped that Himchan wouldn’t be awake by the time he got back but still anticipated that he would be. Himchan glared him down, cold and speculating. “You’re going to explain everything,” he started slowly, and Daehyun lowered his eyes to the master’s feet, swallowing tightly. “Get inside.” It was an order, and Daehyun followed it, stepping past Himchan into the threshold of the home, holding the human tight to his chest as if afraid that Himchan might try to take it away from him, which was a rational fear. Himchan nudged his head towards the open door of Daehyun’s room and the younger followed the older into the room, doing as implied and lowering the human into the cage.

“Himchan, he’s injured, can I at least-”

“Injuries like those should be the least of your concern,” Himchan snapped, grabbing his child’s wrist and half dragging him out of the room after making sure the lock on the crate was secured. He half threw Daehyun down onto the couch, glaring right back down into the younger’s furious eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. “How did it get out?” he demanded, and the younger hissed, “I made a key. After what Jaehwan did to him, I let him out so he could actually fucking eat something.” 

“Did I give you permission to do that?” Himchan growled and Daehyun’s voice was low. “I’m not your doll, I don’t need permission to do something like that.” The master scoffed, beginning to pace. “Jaehwan was right, you two are out of control. I’m sick of it. Where the hell is Junhong?” Daehyun folded his own arms over his chest, and only Himchan’s glare kept him rooted to the couch. “I don’t know, why don’t you go find him?” 

“Jung Daehyun-” 

“Don’t you dare fucking scold me for this. I’m not a child, I didn’t intend for him to run away. Him getting out is my responsibility, but I didn’t stupidly think to myself that he’d be able to just escape.” Himchan stomped his foot down on the floor, cutting the younger off. “You’re an idiot if you think I’ll believe that. You saw what Jaehwan did and you panicked. You’re foolish to care about this human in the first place, and I had mercy on you by letting it stay in your room, letting you care for it. That’s over.” Daehyun’s eyes flickered up, narrow and argumentative, but Himchan was having none of it. “I’m calling Jaehwan. It’s bullshit how you’re acting, even Junhong is leaving the house now and it’s all because of that damned human. Go into Junhong’s room and stay there, I’m moving things around.” Daehyun shoved himself from the couch, stepping forward to argue, “I won’t let you call Jaehwan, and if I have to let him go again so that he doesn’t get taken to that house I fucking will. I promised him I wouldn’t let Jaehwan take him and even if I have to fight you-”

In an instant, Daehyun’s mouth was shut, his body trembled a little, and Himchan was staring directly into his eyes. “I hate glamouring you,” the elder muttered, his voice softened but not quite lacking the anger he’d previously held. “But I will if I have to. Go into Junhong’s room.” Himchan took Daehyun’s wrist into his hand and the younger followed his footsteps easily, though Himchan could feel the hesitation, the refusal, that Daehyun couldn’t act on. He was Daehyun’s maker, the one who turned him, and he was much older; Therefore he had the power to make commands like this, but it still hurt to do. He wanted his children to have free will, to be able to live their lives their own way. But he couldn’t let that happen anymore, not with how it turned out. 

He shoved the door open to the dark room and flicked on the light that hadn’t been used in months, sighed and shoved Daehyun into the messy room. “Sit on the bed and stay,” he demanded, and the younger fell into the sheets, fingers digging into the edge of the mattress as he coldly glared Himchan down. “Don’t,” he whispered, voice hoarse like even speaking against Himchan’s glamour was difficult. “You’ll move on,” Himchan promised, turning to leave the room. “This is just one human. You’ll find another, that’s what you’ve always done. You care too much, but you move on fast. But this one is Jaehwan’s, this one is too much of a hassle. I’m sorry, Daehyun.” And he truly was sorry, but there were some things that couldn’t be helped. He closed the door and locked it behind him, slipping out his phone and dialing up Jaehwan. 

Three rings passed, and Himchan didn’t even give his master the chance to say hello.

“Jaehwan, I need you to take this magica soon. I can’t train it and it’s breaking my family to pieces.” A sigh from the other line. “Can you manage?” Himchan huffed, muttering back, “I don’t think I can any longer. Isn’t there any way you can just… pick it up and then go back to your meeting?” 

Jaehwan didn’t sound amused, but he didn’t sound irritated either, which was a good sign. Another sigh, low and exhausted, before he was responding, “I’ll be there in two days. Don’t tell Daehyun or Junhong that I’m coming, I don’t want any more complications out of your children than I’ve already had.” 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------

“S… so, I didn’t expect that you would be… um… No, nevermind, that sounds insensitive.” The vampire’s voice was just barely trembling, and Jongup relished in how the taller boy seemed afraid of the knife that was currently a millimeter from poking into its back. It was satisfying, having the power in this interaction, but not quite satisfying enough to sugarcoat everything else that was swirling within his mind. Youngjae… did this vampire really know where he was, or was it just an excuse? No, the answer was certain, at least for that question. This vampire was one of the ones that had been asking about Youngjae before, so there was no doubt that they had him. But why, then, would it come and blatantly be willing to tell them where he is? The vampire had said that ‘this’ (whatever ‘this’ was) was hurting them too, but was that really an excuse to be trusted? 

Jongup was never the decisive one, which was exactly why he was leading a vampire straight to their home despite knowing how Yongguk was going to flip over it. It wasn’t like it would matter. The thing wouldn’t make it past the front door if it tried to barge in, not with the wards coating the paint in the walls and drawn invisibly into the glass on the windows. This vampire that was supposedly Jongup’s only friend… There was no way, was there…? If he himself had been a hunter posing as a normal human, then common sense would tell that a vampire could do the exact same thing. But he still felt so cheated, furious that such a creature had played him like that. It didn’t matter. Youngjae was first priority, and he could beat out of this vampire whatever was necessary in revenge for how it had nearly drained him that night on the street. 

“You’re mute,” the vampire finally whispered, and it caught Jongup off guard, the human jumping slightly before returning his attention to the form in front of him. “I didn’t… expect, of all the things that I didn’t expect, it would be that. I didn’t expect you to be a hunter, or for you to so happen be the only human that I’ve ever bitten, or even…” It was rambling, and Jongup found that rather strange when vampires were normally so… fluid in everything that they did. It was like this was a human in front of him, and he would’ve believed it if he saw the figure from behind. But those eyes were pink, those teeth were pointed, and this vampire who called itself Junhong was probably just faking the bumbling to try and get Jongup to mellow up a little. It wouldn’t work. His arm was tense with the knife sticking straight forward, ready to jab if necessary. The vampire seemed to grow even more nervous at how Jongup’s eyes narrowed a little, constantly looking over its shoulder to gauge the human behind it. “I didn’t expect a lot, but I never even considered that you couldn’t… agh, this sounds so mean. I’m not trying to be rude, I just… haven’t had a conversation with anyone other than my family in a full, literal year. I mean other than you of course, but that’s just online and-”

Jongup wished he could just tell the thing to shut up, but typing it out would require him to pull his dagger away and he wouldn’t do that. He had too many thoughts that he needed to process and he couldn’t focus when it was chattering away like it was. He hoped his sharp glare would be enough, but the vampire only seemed to talk more when it got more nervous, as they drew farther from the park. 

“I know you’re angry and you’re probably scared still and, hell, I know, I’m scared right now too to be honest,” it went on, taking a deep breath, which also caught Jongup off guard because it had done that right before it bit him too, breathed like that. Vampires he’d killed never breathed, not even when they were about to die, it was something that he knew that they didn’t have to do, so why did this one breathe so often? In the fight, Yongguk had concluded that it was new, still a baby in a… vampire sense, but it was still unusual how human of a vibe this one gave off. 

The house came into sight, and Jongup’s mind focused. He led the vampire past the sidewalk, feeling his heart racing like a stampede as he threw open the gate to the backyard, felt the wards of the house rippling uncomfortably at the vampire in the near proximity. Yongguk would notice as well, might come outside on his own. The vampire swallowed as it was guided into the small yard, and Jongup pointed to the lawn chair with his knife, the tall male quickly, obediently sitting down into it, knees almost at chest level with how long its legs were. Jongup shot it a glare, as if saying ‘stay,’ before taking his chances and turning his back to the vampire to go knock on the back door. 

It didn’t lunge at him, it didn’t attempt to run, and Jongup gave it some points in trust for that, though it wasn’t much to convince him that it was to be relied on yet. The door rattled as he knocked, and he knew that Yongguk was too suspicious to ignore the bang, to ignore Jongup’s racing heartbeat and the empty bedroom down the hall. Sure enough, only thirty seconds of tense waiting resulted in the elder stepping into sight through the glass pane, his eyes growing wide as he clicked the lock and slid it open. 

“Uppie, why are you outside? Did you get locked out?” 

And then, in the process of scanning Jongup to make sure there were no injuries present, Yongguk noticed in his peripheral the elephant in the room. Instantly he grabbed Jongup by the shirt collar and yanked, pulled the younger past the threshold into the kitchen and was about to slam the door, but Jongup jammed his boot in the way. He pushed away enough and stepped backwards back into the yard. The vampire behind him was surely sitting there awkwardly, but he didn’t care about the feelings of a creature like that, a creature that he didn’t even know how to treat right now after it both nearly killed him and was attempting to save Youngjae and posed as his online friend, but was it really posing? And… 

“Jongup, what are you-” The desperation, the confusion, the fear in Yongguk’s voice was enough for him to quickly sign, ‘Please listen.’ The elder shivered and Jongup bit his cheek before turning back to the vampire, relieved to find it still sitting in the lawn chair, eyes flicking between the two hunters and discomfort written in every one of its muscles. ‘This vampire wants to tell us where Youngjae is.’ 

Yongguk narrowed his eyes, growling under his breath. “This vampire? Did you lose your memory?! Don’t you remember-”

Jongup’s hands were fast, and they acted as an interruption as his eyes narrowed. ‘Of course I fucking remember.’ Yongguk’s arms crossed tightly over his chest, and if he had a weapon anywhere near him he’d probably have already rushed to kill the thing sitting ten or so feet back, watching the conversation with all form of confusion and anxiety welling in its rosy eyes. ‘But think about it. Wouldn’t this vampire know? It said that Youngjae is a complication. If its really willing to tell us where he is…’

This time, glaring at the creature sitting too close for comfort, Yongguk began to sign rather than speak, most likely to keep their conversation private. ‘It’s a trap. It has to be. Why would they give him up when they have every reason to want him? They’re trying to get us too. We can’t trust it, Jongup.’ 

Jongup swallowed, that was what he expected, but… ‘But why is it just… sitting there then? It didn’t attack me even when I was vulnerable, even now it could run away or do… anything, but look, its just sitting there.’ True enough, the vampire was almost pitiful if they hadn’t memorized its type to be dangerous, its knuckles were white with how tightly its fists were clenched. Yongguk sighed, losing some of his tension but keeping his guard up, which Jongup could understand well enough. He himself had already laxed, which might be stupid but he did have four knives on him at the moment, enough to wipe out this immature, young vampire without much harm if it tried anything. 

‘Jongup, this is dangerous,’ Yongguk signed, his hands slow as he still didn’t have an entire grasp on sign language, easily reading but having a little more trouble forming the sentences himself. Jongup nodded, taking a deep, slow breath as he finally made a decision himself, responding, ‘It is. But it knows where Youngjae is, and I’m willing to risk having to fight to at least know where he’s at.’ 

There was a long pause of a silent conversation, one cast between eyes and not hands, before Yongguk finally bowed his head. He too had relaxed, as if neither of them considered the vampire a threat any longer. It wasn’t like it was one. They’d nearly killed it once, they could do it again. This vampire wasn’t skilled, if it really didn’t have tricks up its sleeve than they’d have an advantage as long as the elder didn’t return. But Jongup’s point stood loud and clear: They wouldn’t be able to save Youngjae without taking risks, and even if this was playing right literally into enemy hands, it was almost vital if they were going to save him in time. 

Yongguk stepped out into the yard, and Jongup did him a favor and handed him one of the sharper daggers. The elder nodded in thanks but his eyes never left the vampire, who shrunk back into the chair as he saw Yongguk’s stone cold eyes and the weapon held tight in his hand. “Get up, vampire,” Yongguk snarled, and the boy jumped to its feet, Jongup almost feeling guilty for how it jittered. Almost. Yongguk circled the chair, and Jongup watched with little sympathy for the creature as it tried to follow him with its eyes without moving enough to incite an attack. 

“You’re telling me you know where Youngjae is? You’re lying, aren’t you?” The vampire wouldn’t know where their conversation had turned, not unless it could read sign language, which Jongup highly doubted. The vampire shook its head quickly, parted its lips to speak, but Yongguk didn’t give it a chance. “You just want to bite us again, huh? You think I’d let you get the upper hand on Jongup again? I saw how you were drinking from him like he was a fucking glass for you to down, you monster.” Junhong cowered, bowed his head, and Jongup wished that he didn’t believe the guilt laced in the vampire’s eyes as it stared at its feet, shoulders tight and tense. “I’m sorry,” it whispered, and Yongguk scoffed. “What did you say?” 

“I’m sorry,” the vampire repeated louder. “I really am. I hate drinking, I hate needing blood. I lost control and I’m sorry.” Yongguk froze in his pace around the chair, staring long and hard at the back of the vampire’s neck before lifting the knife and swinging it down, grazing across the boy’s arm. Junhong yelped loudly as the pain startled him, though the cut was shallow and Jongup figured that Yongguk was making a point by it rather than attempting to inflict decent damage. 

“You’re sorry? That’s it? You lose control and nearly take a life. It would be so easy for me to lose control now. Why shouldn’t I.” Yongguk lifted the knife up again, and the vampire flinched, voice loud and fearful as it shouted out, “Because I’m trying to make things right, okay?! I know you see me as a monster, I see me as a monster too! I didn’t… I didn’t want to be… to have to… It doesn’t matter!” Junhong’s eyes narrowed, and Jongup jumped when the glare was shot towards him rather than to Yongguk, who was frowning, lowering the knife in favor of hearing the creature out. 

“Youngjae… I was afraid of him. He nearly killed me too, my family was furious for it. But then… But then I realized that he was just scared. He’s just scared even now. When he yells at Daehyun, it’s because he’s scared, when he refuses to eat or drink and when he refuses help, its all because he’s scared.” The vampire’s voice broke. “I’m scared too. We’re all scared, aren’t we? I want my family to be happy and safe again, you just want your family to be reunited.” Yongguk swallowed and Jongup slowly sat down on the porch step, hugging his arms to his body as the air felt colder than before. 

“As a vampire, we see hunters as monsters too. We’re just a family, you guys won’t see that because you think we’re all evil, but we’re not. We need blood to survive, but it doesn’t mean we’re all… violent beasts that just love to kill or something. My maker, Himchan, he hates humans just like you two hate vampires. But I realized when I met Youngjae, we’re all… we’re so different, and yet-”

“Get to the point,” Yongguk growled, but the intimidation was lost from his voice, his eyes focused and dark. Junhong nodded, and Jongup noted that he seemed more confident before, as if forgetting that he was in a position to be afraid. “The point is,” he finally sighed. “I don’t want to be a monster. I don’t want to watch Youngjae be given to someone like Jaehwan, I hate just… watching as he’s locked up and starving and miserable. Magica or not, he’s a person, he’s cared about. I can’t just sit and watch as this happens, it’s not right. That’s why I want to tell you where he is.” 

Silence. The night was warm, and yet Jongup could feel goosebumps on his arm, his fingers drifting to the yellow tattoo where a heartbeat was slow and steady. Yongguk bowed his head for a moment, for a minute, then two, then three, and Junhong seemed to tremble with tension as he realized by each passed second that there was a decision to be made, that he was once again in danger as the hunters considered his offer. 

Finally, Yongguk spoke, his voice deep and thick with a tired finality. 

“Jongup, cancel out the house’s wards.” Jongup blinked, staring at the elder like he was crazy. Yongguk didn’t even glance to him, too focused on the vampire who was still staring at the ground like it was something to be fascinated with, Junhong’s lip quivering, his foot tapping anxiously. “We’ll hear you out,” Yongguk muttered, and Junhong whipped to stare up at him, mouth agape as if he’d honestly expected to be denied. “I’m sure you won’t just tell us right away where he is, since I doubt your coven knows that you’re doing this.” The vampire blinked, then the guilt trickled in. He slowly nodded, whispering, “They don’t, no.” 

“You’ll come inside. Know that if you do anything funny you’ll be dead in seconds. We’ll discuss gains and losses from this, since I’m sure you have conditions.” A nod, slow and fragile, and those pink eyes once again slipped from Yongguk to the dewy grass. Yongguk nodded firmly before turning to Jongup. “Go ahead. The wards, Jongup. We should hurry, the sooner we get this over with, the sooner we get Youngjae back.” And that was all it took. With one last gaze to Mul’s guilty, sodden eyes, Jongup jumped up and skipped the porch steps, ran inside and began whipping the charmed christmas lights off of their hinges on the door. As he rid the house of all of the tiny decorations they’d set up, all of the mint leaves in pots and the painting in the living room with a hidden rune woven into the canvas, he could almost feel relief from the tension bottled up from before. If this were truly a solution, a way to save Youngjae… Maybe he could forgive this vampire. For being Mul, for biting him… 

Just maybe. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Youngjae woke up suddenly and uncomfortably, and damn did he feel like shit. His body felt like needles were poked into every pore, and it wasn’t an unfamiliar feeling. The sweat running down his forehead, sticking his clothes to his arms and legs, the constant feeling of being just about to vomit… If it weren’t for the lack of heat, he’d call this a fever. Perhaps it was one, a bad fever, only the heat was being sucked out by the damned collar that had been on his neck for so long that he couldn’t feel it unless he lifted his hand and touched it. 

He sat up and immediately collapsed, and that wasn’t unfamiliar either, the weakness of his muscles, the throb of his bones. He’d pushed himself too far, running like he did when he’d already been so weak. As much of a disappointment, a fearful realization, as it was to find himself back in this cage, it wasn’t a surprise. Only… something was off. 

He couldn’t sit up, but he did force himself to roll to the side, taking in an entirely new atmosphere outside of the familiar bars. This room had a different scent to it, the smell of fancy cologne and cleanliness. The carpet was thick and padded and he longed to be laying on it (or anything else) instead of the hard metal under him. The bedframe took up nearly the entire room, mahogany or some type of stained wood, and quite opposite to Daehyun’s room, it was well made and clutter-free. Himchan. If he was still in the same house, still with the same coven, this would be Himchan’s room. 

The realization put him at unease. At least Daehyun was someone he could… well, trust was a strong word, but someone he could rely on. He knew that Daehyun wouldn’t go out of his way to harm him, would try and give him food, would try to comfort him even if Daehyun was the reason he was here in the first place. But Himchan… Youngjae curled into himself, wishing that at the very least he wouldn’t have this fever. It was absolutely triggered by the overexertion, but knowing that he was beyond too weak to even lift himself, let alone fight if Himchan tried to bite him or hurt him again, if that vampire Jaehwan came back… 

He didn’t want to think about it, so he refused to, forcing his thoughts back to Himchan, then to anything else. The room was painted a navy blue and it would be comforting if not for the situation he was in. It all felt so royal, the atmosphere of the room, so befitting to someone like Himchan with such a conservative, posh attitude. Youngjae sighed softly… and paused. It smelled like Daehyun, and it genuinely took him a full two minutes to figure out why before realizing that the shirt he was wearing now wasn’t the shirt that Jongup had bought him, then that the sweatpants weren’t his jeans from before. In fact, none of the clothes he was wearing were his, too loose on him, and all of them smelled like… 

Daehyun. He was wearing Daehyun’s clothes. He shushed the skip of his heartbeat angrily and curled closer into himself, wishing he was asleep again so he at least wouldn’t have to notice things like this. His old clothes had probably gotten tattered up when he’d scraped up on the branches and thorns, so Daehyun had likely given him new ones. It wasn’t something he was angry about, in fact he was almost grateful. His hair was getting greasy, he surely smelled like sweat, especially to the vampires’ sensitive noses. Just having clean clothes was something to be grateful for, even if his heart fell upon considering that the shirt Jongup and Yongguk had gotten on the last day he’d spent with them was now out of his possession.

That was probably weeks ago, wasn’t it? He had no way to tell time, was almost used to time passing with no way to document it other than the vampire’s sleep cycles. Daehyun would sometimes inform him of the time without him asking, but Himchan surely wouldn’t give him an update. How long had he been here…? He was relieved that he could feel his tattoos and know that Yongguk and Jongup were still safe, he was relieved that they could do the same and know that he was still breathing, know that he hadn’t died yet. They wouldn’t give up on him, he was fully confident in this. But… 

His head throbbed, and Youngjae collapsed further into himself if it was somehow possible, groaning out weakly as his entire body felt like it had been hit with a hammer, as he trembled and writhed with discomfort. The fever was probably bad, what with how rapid and distracted his thought process was, but it was hard to tell without the heat that usually gauged how dangerous past fevers were. Maybe he’d die from it, but that was a thought that almost had him giggling, and he determined that it was probably bad enough of a fever that Yongguk would have a fire extinguisher ready, which had him sighing, the delirium washed away by a wave of sadness. He missed Yongguk, he missed Jongup. Would he really never see them again…? It had been so long. 

Youngjae drifted to sleep with a weight in his chest, with a throb in his head, his body, his heart. Even though he heard the door open and slam closed, even though he heard Himchan’s voice muttering, even though he couldn’t comprehend the words. He kept his eyes closed, begging for sleep until it granted him mercy and threw him into a feverish dream. 

 

\-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

 

He could hear the argument vaguely, could feel his body being moved around, but the voices became less and less familiar as his mind swept back to a previous time. It was as if travelling through space, travelling through every event that had happened in his life just a little too fast to catch each moment and cherish it. Memories that were hidden behind shadows in his mind were turned towards the light, and Youngjae scrambled to cover them with no means of doing so. 

Beyond images of a beautiful vampire with ruby eyes, beyond a hunter with swirling tattoos and melancholy eyes, beyond a leader’s embrace, everything hesitated on a young boy of thirteen who didn’t know the cruelty of life until a gentle January morning where the floor was stained with blood. The scene was a city, a massive city, one he hadn’t been to in years. He wondered why he was here now, watching this scene, but perhaps subconsciously this moment was the one that he needed to revisit the most, the one memory he’d done everything in his power to trash before it could grow and consume him entirely. 

“Okay, Youngjae. Just remember, when the barrel turns red, pull back your hand.” The voice was kind, it hurt, it hurt so badly to hear that voice again. The scent of that specific cologne, the touch of calloused hands on his shoulders, massaging them as the boy panted, sweating under the heat he himself had created. The barrel was the only thing nearby in a half-foot deep layer of snow, at least the only thing besides the buildings that curtained the sky and blocked the moon’s light. Yellow street lamps were the only source of light in the city until Youngjae of the past took a soft breath and reignited his hands.

The iron barrel was miserable after so much training, warped from previous sessions and melting around his fingers in a way that was almost soothing. He couldn’t recall just how many times they had done this, coming out here until Youngsoo didn’t have to force him anymore, until he asked excitedly to go heat up the barrel again. His brother would laugh and say the same thing every time: ‘Don’t go turning into an arsonist now.’ 

It was not a gift, this fire, it wasn’t a gift even before vampires fell in love with the taste of his magical blood. After all, who would want a child that spiralled into fevers that would literally ignite his crib? Who would want a child that was irritable from the heat constantly writhing through its body, who would want a child that they’d have to hide from society for the rest of its miserable life? 

No one, that was the answer, and Youngjae learned that well at the age of four when his mother and father went on a vacation and never returned to the small, crappy apartment that they’d lived in for years. Youngsoo thankfully had a job, thankfully could put up with the rent that they shoved onto him, but the cursed child was another story. Youngjae had been grateful from the start, because Youngsoo at only fourteen had taken in this young, problematic child, and had done everything in his power to make sure that Youngjae didn’t turn into the disaster that he was determined by blood to be. 

Stop drop and roll, how to use fire extinguishers, it was all such simple information that the older boy had carried back from school, but Youngjae cherished it all, everything his older brother could give to him. Youngsoo would come with takeout on his birthday and they would celebrate the artificial, brilliant meals that were so rarely acquired before going out and spending sunset to sunrise setting fire to this barrel. Youngjae never went to school, but Youngsoo made sure to redo all of his homework with his younger brother watching, played educational games that he’d stolen from the classroom, everything he could. 

And now, he watched from the third person perspective, his younger self and his older brother standing in front of the barrel again. His previous life wasn’t one he ever wanted to return to, and yet… 

And yet, here he was. Youngsoo was so… young, now that he looked back. Twenty three and already having raised up a child into adolescence, twenty three with the eyes of an adult who’d seen too much and the smile of a kid with a whole life ahead of him. He smiled for Youngjae, he brought home food every night no matter how simple it was, he brought toys, he bought a new barrel everytime Youngjae melted the current one into a heap of trash, he paid rent every month. 

Youngjae never asked where the money came from. He never knew that money was so important, after all, never interacting with it himself. He didn’t leave the apartment or the area around it, he had no will to when the rest of the world would do exactly what his parents did and either avoid him or attack him. He wished his chest didn’t hurt, watching this scene again, because he knew that this wasn’t some random January night. Money was something so small, right? Amidst crying for his parents and longing for his brother, amidst Youngsoo’s increasingly tired eyes and trying to control how hot the barrel got before he pulled his hand away, Youngjae hadn’t ever even thought about something as material as money. It was just... something that was necessary, and something that they somehow had. 

But it was something very important. He didn’t know that until the night in January where they stood out in a half-foot of snow, Youngsoo’s hands on his shoulders, his brother cooing out, “When the barrel turns red, pull back your hand.” 

They went inside. Youngjae watched as his younger self and his older brother ate dinner, knowing what was to come, wishing that he could in this moment do anything to change it. He watched as Youngsoo fell asleep on the couch, and the image of the scene drew blurry when he too, at the time, fell asleep. 

A bang woke him up. Youngsoo jerked from the couch, blinking rapidly to focus his tired eyes, glancing down to Youngjae who had been curled up on his mat on the floor. Youngsoo always gave him the couch, and the elder whispered to him to go ahead and move towards the more cushioned place to sleep. Youngjae didn’t. He was more focused on what that strange, loud noise was.

Youngsoo made his way towards the door. His feet were slow and careful on the floor, and Youngjae wondered why he was taking such cautious steps. His brother turned towards him, and as if taking a photograph, the image froze in that moment. The voice was so clear, so painful, so fucking clear as if it was happening for real and not just in some horrible dream. 

“Go to the closet, Youngjae. Get out one of the games, okay?”

He’d said that because the games were on the top shelf, and the closet was in their parent’s old room. It would have the younger boy out of the way, out of sight, and ducked down. It was smart, Youngsoo was smart, but fuck did Youngjae hate it. He could’ve done something, he could’ve used his fire, he could’ve done anything, something, somehow, someway-

The door squeaked open. Voices. Unfamiliar voices, Youngsoo’s voice. Arguing? He sat up, focus lost from which game to play and more attuned towards what was happening in the other room. And then, and then, and then… 

Youngjae flinched as he heard it again, the noise that echoed everytime he fell into a nightmare of this sort. 

Bang. 

On a frozen January night, Yoo Youngsoo was killed by loan sharks, Yoo Youngjae burned down the entire apartment complex in a fit of hysteria as he shook his limp brother, and the police didn’t know of a murder when all of the evidence was burned to the ground. He wandered the streets uselessly, waiting to die and never gaining the opportunity, waiting for work until a position arose that could put his horrible flames to good use. 

And years later, dying in an alleyway, Youngjae would open his eyes and see a man with dark hair and strong arms, a knife on his belt leaning over the body of a dead vampire. 

And in Bang Yongguk, Youngjae could initially only see the same tired, yet gentle gaze of his older brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so this chapter is massive and has a lot going on and I've only proof-read in small pieces, so let me know if it was confusing or strange. Another thing I always worry about is that I don't know how to use italics on ao3, so I hope its not too confusing when Jongup is signing stuff. Either way, thank you so much for reading~ Your comments give me life and keep me inspired haha. I think about this story almost everyday now, I'm so excited to show you what'll happen next. Hopefully this chapter was okay. Thank you for reading!


	28. Listen

Soft breathing echoed through the room, and for once Himchan wished he wasn’t able to hear it. It was morning, but the master of the house couldn’t find it in him to try and sleep, not with a human locked up just across from his bed. It wasn’t like he wanted the magica in his room, but he didn’t trust Daehyun, or honestly Junhong, to behave after such a horrible mishap. If the human had actually managed to escape, Jaehwan would’ve been furious beyond what Himchan was comfortable ever seeing again, and their small family would’ve been seriously punished for it. 

He stared at the carpet, how it dipped under his socks, sighed with no breath before letting his eyes travel to the side, to the crate set up to the left of the locked bedroom door. The magica had its back facing him, curled into itself. Daehyun’s shirt was loose on it, and Himchan wondered if it had lost maybe too much weight in the two weeks they’d watched it. What was Jaehwan’s preference on a feeder’s weight? Would he be satisfied when he saw it again? He figured that it didn’t matter anymore. 

Youngjae. That was its name, and Himchan cursed it without hesitation. Single-handedly, this human seduced Daehyun, fooled Junhong, turned his entire family against him, and pulled Jaehwan’s attention back to the small coven that wanted nothing to do with him. This human even without its powers had done so much to shatter their once peaceful family dynamic, and up until tonight Himchan was sure that it had been on purpose. 

But now, he wasn’t sure. Not when both of his children were accusing him of being stone cold and heartless, not just lovesick Daehyun but also Junhong who would otherwise have no part to play in this mess. Was it true? This was just a human, but maybe he was being a little cruel, putting all of the blame on the shoulders of something that should just be a pawn in Jaehwan’s massive game. He sighed, lifting himself from the plush of his bed and walking over to fall into the antique rocking chair in the corner of the room. “Why are you pretending to be asleep? Sit up.”

The human’s breath caught, Himchan heard it easily, but it didn’t stir. The vampire found himself sighing again. Did humans not realize that vampires were easily capable of hearing things that they themselves couldn’t? Heartbeats, breathing, all the things that they themselves no longer possessed. “Behave,” Himchan muttered, but he couldn’t find it in himself to be angry. The problem would hopefully be solved in a few days. Jaehwan would take the magica, Daehyun would break down and Himchan would play damage control until his family was carefully reassembled. Daehyun would move on. He was always smitten for one human or another, this one wouldn’t be any different. And Junhong would go right back to being Junhong. His youngest was most likely just acting up because of the high tension in the house, the anxiety and stress that he already had multiplying. Himchan hadn’t done a very good job of taking care of them lately, not when he was too busy stressing himself over this human and its damage. 

“Yoo Youngjae.” That was its name, and again, Himchan cursed it. The magica swallowed and he could hear it, but this time it slowly sat up, and Himchan noted immediately that its movements were frail, heavy. “What do you want...?” the human whispered, and Himchan couldn’t find it in himself to glare when this Youngjae sounded so exhausted, so fragile. Two days and Jaehwan would take it. Himchan had done his part; Jaehwan had asked to make sure the human wasn’t aggressive, and now it didn’t have the energy to be. He noted a bead of sweat trickle down its neck, past the already scabbing marks. Himchan could identify which of the two healing bites was his and which was Jaehwan’s with ease. He wondered if the human could as well, could remember all of the bites that caused the dotted scars all over its neck and the parts of its shoulders that were exposed by the wide collar of Daehyun’s shirt. 

“I don’t want anything from you,” Himchan answered after a long pause. The human laughed, broken and bitter, and it turned into a feeble cough towards the end of the breath. “Right,” it whispered disbelievingly. “Because this is all so easy for you isn’t it? You’re probably so happy, seeing me like this.” It wasn’t necessarily true. Perhaps a few days ago Himchan would’ve found joy in this sight, the manipulative magica barely able to lift itself, its voice so scratchy and weak. But now he was tired, tired above all else, and he couldn’t find it in himself to be childish and hold a grudge against this human for things that were possibly, just possibly, out of its control. 

“I don’t feel anything, seeing you like this. I pity you if only slightly,” Himchan answered honestly, letting the chair rock slowly, back and forth. “But you’ll live. It’s not like being a feeder will be miserable as long as you cooperate. You’re used to bites by now I’m sure, given the state of your neck.” The human sneered at the ground, and its glare finally returned to its honey eyes. “I’d rather die. I’m a hunter, don’t fucking forget that.” Like he could. If it weren’t for the white leather around the magica’s throat, they’d all be in serious danger. Himchan was sure that he could break this human’s neck before it’d be able to ignite, but its fire still posed a massive problem.

But its fire was extinguished, and it would never use it again. It was a rather relieving thought after having seen Junhong so horribly burned by it in the past. “If I bring you food, will you eat it?” Himchan asked tiredly. He knew the answer already. “No,” the magica grumbled, finally weak enough to lay back down on the metal flooring of the cage. Himchan had removed the blanket and pillow. It wouldn’t find such comforts in Jaehwan’s possession, might as well not pamper it now. “I’ll have Baekhyun put you on an IV then. You’re getting too thin, the smell of your blood is dulling as well. You’re lucky that Jaehwan treasures rarities like you, but don’t forget that he’s a picky man. If you’re useless to his business, he will get rid of you.” 

“I’d rather die,” the human repeated, barely whispering now as its eyes began to flutter. Himchan noted something was off, but he couldn’t quite pinpoint what. It was sweating too much when the room was rather cold, it was weaker than it should be after resting for so long. This conversation would be useless if the magica could barely focus on it, so Himchan summed it up. “If I bring Daehyun in, will you eat?” Silence. The magica’s eyes slipped closed, and Himchan could easily hear that its breathing hadn’t slowed in the slightest. It could fake sleeping all it wanted, he didn’t care either way. Two days and this would all be over. He couldn’t wait. 

“I’ll be right outside the door. Try anything and you’ll be punished. I need to check your blood’s quality anyway before Jaehwan comes, so I’ll do that after you’re fed.” The human tensed, and Himchan felt no joy nor guilt, could only feel a numb exhaustion that came with such a stressful two weeks. 

He stood and paced the room, threw open his bedroom door. “Jung Daehyun,” he called, and the younger was there immediately, eyes hopeful, too hopeful for Himchan’s comfort. Daehyun was going to get hurt like this. No, he’d already gotten hurt. It was only going to progress, his pain, until he let go if this human. Himchan had tried to force it, but Daehyun was adamant on loving this specific one. Would that change after Jaehwan took it? Would he rebel, take all of his past fury towards the elder and try to fight? Or would he withdraw into himself, break down silently until he could move on? With Daehyun there was no telling, but neither path left a good feeling in Himchan’s stomach. 

“Go feed it. I’ll be listening, so don’t try anything,” he muttered, and Daehyun was quick to hurry to the kitchen with no further question, returning hastily with another one of those strange, artificial pastries that Junhong had suggested that they grab. “Thank you,” he breathed, and Himchan hated how relieved he sounded just to see this human again, but that was another thing that was out of his control in his own home. He sighed. “Daehyun.” The younger stopped impatiently, glancing over his shoulder with his hand already on the doorknob to the bedroom. “Yes?” 

“Please don’t hurt yourself with this human any longer. You know that its fate is inevitable.” Himchan watched his child’s beautiful red eyes, noting how tired they looked, how desperate and sad and pitiable where they were once full of sunshine and rebellious intent. Daehyun didn’t respond, staring right back at Himchan for a good few seconds before turning to the door and slipping through, closing it behind him. Himchan could hear the conversation easily, found himself leaning against the wall and listening in, trying to figure out what made this human so different from the rest to his pitiable children.

\-------------------------------------------------------------

“Are you sleeping?” He asked despite knowing the answer, and Youngjae’s eyes flickered open, tracing the room before coming to a standstill on Daehyun’s concerned expression. “I wish I was,” the magica mumbled, rolling to his back to stare at the ceiling of the cage, the solid metal only around three feet above. “I can get you some medicine if you’re not feeling well. You don’t look so good,” Daehyun responded, pacing forward from the door and sitting criss-cross on the floor in front of the cage, hugging himself loosely as he looked in. Youngjae looked ill, a sheer of sweat on his skin, a daze in his eyes. “Just another fever. I’ll live,” he whispered, but Daehyun’s eyebrows creased together. “Another fever?” 

“They come and go. It’s just another curse that comes from this stupid fire.” Oh. “I’ll absolutely get medicine then. You probably feel shitty enough from not eating, you don’t need to be feverish as well.” 

“If I have a fever, that Jaehwan guy will think I’m diseased. I’m fine with it.” Daehyun laughed, but it was weak, it was sad. Perhaps Youngjae was right, but what he didn’t realize was that it was almost preferable for Jaehwan to want him. He’d have no reason to survive otherwise, not in the vampire’s eyes. If Jaehwan’s precious magica turned out to not be worth it, he’d take his losses and throw him away. Daehyun could save him from the feeder house if worst came to worst. He couldn’t save him if he was killed. 

“I have a poptart. It’s probably not what you need health-wise, but I figured you probably don’t have much of an appetite.” 

“I don’t want it.” Daehyun frowned, letting a sigh pass his lips, lowering his gaze to the carpet beneath him. “You need it. I’ll grab some medicine and some disinfectant for those scrapes. In the meantime, please eat. I’ll get you some water too.” He stood, stretching his legs and turning to leave the room before Youngjae softly asked, “My family… does Himchan intend to hurt them?” Daehyun glanced to the door, knowing the elder was listening. “Not unless they get in his way, which they shouldn’t. They should be safe.” Youngjae sighed, and Daehyun wished that he didn’t sound so relieved, as if this was all he needed to hear to let things happen as they did. He almost missed Youngjae kicking and screaming, wondered when his fire burned out mentally just like it had physically. “And if Jaehwan does come back…”

“I won’t let him take you, Jae. I promised you that.” 

“You also promised to protect me, and yet I’m here.” A knife jabbed through his silent heart, and Daehyun wished that he could walk out without responding, pretend like Youngjae had never said what he did. It was true, it wasn’t like his promises were anything to be trusted anymore. “You promised that you cared about me, but I can’t trust that anymore can I?” Youngjae laughed, weak and tired, and Daehyun wondered suddenly if it were the fever causing him to say things that he wouldn’t normally say or the fact that he had given up, had stopped caring. “When you kissed me, I… I liked it,” Youngjae muttered, unsure, uncomfortable, as if he knew full well that he’d regret saying it later. Daehyun blinked, turning to face the human with wide eyes. It was the last thing he’d ever expected to hear, not after betraying Youngjae like he had. “I was pissed with myself for it, I still am. Vampires aren’t… supposed to do that, you know? I trusted you and I knew that I shouldn’t but I did. I enjoyed going to the park, I enjoyed talking with you.” His voice trembled, and Daehyun felt a thickness in his throat, a weakness in his limbs. Finally, Youngjae asked what he intended to in the first place. 

“Was it all fake..? Was it just an act to get me here? The kiss, the talks, everything. It wasn’t anything to you, right?” And Daehyun turned, hurrying back to kneel in front of the cage, fingers digging into his knees as Youngjae’s voice quivered, as he began to blink rapidly, trying to stop tears that threatened to fall. “Jongup, Yongguk, I just want to see them again, but I won’t right? I’m going to spend the rest of my life being bitten because I thought… because I trusted…” 

“It wasn’t fake,” Daehyun whispered, trying to pour the honesty from his body into his words, trying with all of his effort to bring Youngjae to believe the truth. “Youngjae, this is shitty timing, but I do love you.” The human winced as if the words were painful, and Daehyun ignored the feelings of rejection if only to continue. “And you won’t believe me, you have every right to not believe me, but its fucking killing me seeing you like this.” A blink was the final straw, and a tear dripped from long lashes, slipping down Youngjae’s scratched cheek. Daehyun took a breath before reaching past the bars, taking the risk and wiping the tear away. Youngjae flinched when his fingers made contact, but he didn’t pull back, instead letting his eyes fall from Daehyun’s and focus on the ground. “But doing anything would put you in danger, would put all of us in danger. I’ve thought and thought but where has it lead to..?” His voice was scratchy but his eyes were dry, and too much had his chest tightening like the stress, the desperation, were ribbons tied around it, being pulled tighter and tighter and squeezing him until he’d eventually break. “Youngjae, I love you. Even if… that’s something that disgusts you, I love you. I was just curious at first, you reminded me of someone that I used to know, and I wanted to follow you. When I say that I won’t let Jaehwan take you, it’s not just an empty promise. I’ll fight tooth and nail, I’m so fucking sick of him taking everything from us all. Even if it kills me, I won’t let him hurt you. You’ll see Yongguk and Jongup again if it kills me.” 

Youngjae slowly brought his gaze up to meet Daehyun’s, staring deep into his eyes as if reading his mind, delving into the depths of his thoughts to try and find whether they were honest or not, before letting his eyes fall closed and whispering, “Don’t hurt me again.” Daehyun nodded, slowly then rapidly, taking in a deep, forced breath and letting it out slowly. “I won’t,” he promised, knowing the weight of it this time, knowing that this was a final decision on his part. He would fight Jaehwan. It was terrifying, it was against Himchan’s wishes even as Himchan was eavesdropping. He didn’t care. And Youngjae nodded slowly before his eyes slipped shut, his breathing slowed, and as he fell asleep Daehyun passed the next few minutes watched his chest rise and fall. Youngjae in all of his beauty, fluffy, shiny hair, expression soft in his sleep, Daehyun’s loose clothes exposing his milky skin. Youngjae in all of his essence, his snarky behavior, his determination, even in the fragile state that he was in now. Daehyun wouldn’t let him break, not again. He wouldn’t let go of this moment, of the utter compassion for this human that made his heart threaten to beat again. Even if it killed him. 

As he left the room, Himchan stared at him warily, but he ignored it. “Do we have any medicine? A fever reducer or something?” The elder watched him quietly, trying to read his expression right as Daehyun tried to numb it. Himchan had already heard him, would already know that he’d made up his mind. “It’s in the first aid kit,” the elder finally responded, before dripping his gaze to the wooden floors. “Daehyun, I-”

“You promised me revenge, Himchan,” the younger interrupted before Himchan could finish. The elder vampire narrowed his eyes but let Daehyun finish. “When you turned me, you asked, ‘Do you want to get him back for this? Do you want to live?’” It was the exact words that he’d said, and Himchan felt his stomach knot at how Daehyun had remembered it perfectly even ninety years later. Daehyun’s voice trembled, but the determination behind it didn’t waver in the slightest. “I’m taking my revenge now.” And with that, Daehyun passed Himchan and made his way through the living room. He wished he didn’t see Himchan’s face before he turned, the sadness in his master’s eyes. He knew how much he meant to him, how Himchan cherished him and Junhong, he knew that the elder couldn’t bear the thought of Daehyun risking himself like this, especially for Youngjae’s sake. But this was more than Youngjae. 

When Jaehwan was to come, Daehyun would put up his fight. He wouldn’t let him take another life away from him, even if it killed him. 

\----------------------------------------------------------

“We have a house.” 

The vampire’s voice trembled, which was reasonable. It was sitting in the small kitchen, the yellow lights casting a sunny glow on it’s pale face, and Jongup was currently sitting not even a foot to its left, toying with the dagger that he was fully prepared to whip out of its sheath. Yongguk was sitting across from the two, rubbing his eyes, his forehead, his entire face with his palm as if utterly exhausted by the situation at hand. It would be over soon, wouldn’t it? They would get Youngjae back, either that or this vampire would find itself dead on their unswept kitchen floor. It seemed to realize just what it had gotten itself into, and Jongup noted as he watched the male closely that its hands were trembling a little, held tightly together. 

“Go on,” Yongguk slurred, and the vampire nodded quickly. “We have a house in a place not heavily populated. It’s outside of the city.” Jongup exhaled sharply through his nose, and the vampire almost comically flinched away from him, voice quickly picking back up, “I… I’m scared to tell you where yet! You see, my family is still there, they don’t know that I’m doing this. Daehyun won’t care, but Himchan…” 

“Himchan’s the vampire that nearly killed us, is that correct?” Yongguk asked, though his tone was more akin to a growl and the vampire, Junhong, bowed his head. “That’s right. He was protecting me.” Yongguk glanced over, and Jongup made eye contact as they tried to determine whether this was information that would help them forgive the elder vampire or hate it more. “Like family,” Yongguk slowly confirmed, and Junhong nodded rapidly. “Our family is very similar to yours. We’re just trying to get by, the three of us.” Yes, Jongup thought, that would make sense. This vampire was horrible at fighting from what he’d gathered, so it would make sense if it wasn’t accustomed to hunts. If the elder vampire, Himchan, did all of the hunting for its ‘children,’ then they wouldn’t be used to a fight. But…. Jongup remembered back to the night of the orphanage, arriving at the scene to see a vampire with ruby eyes leaning over Youngjae, glaring as if defending its territory, demanding that he keep him safe. That had to be Daehyun, the one that Junhong said wanted Youngjae free as well. Daehyun had a severely intimidating appearance, and despite the vampire’s words here, he couldn’t be sure that it… he? ...would accept them taking Youngjae away. 

“We’re currently in a tight spot,” Junhong continued, relaxing just enough for Jongup to note that he was more focused on his words than the situation at hand. It was naive of it, to lose tension in this situation, but the vampire’s stupidity was almost comforting now. He could tell it was being honest, a liar wouldn’t have enough faith in their words to believe wholeheartedly that others would feel the same. “There’s a vampire named Jaehwan who’s crazy powerful. He’s the one that turned Himchan a little over two hundred years ago.” Two hundred years… It was almost incomprehensible that something could be even older than that and still alive. “Jaehwan… he’s an awful person, to be honest,” Junhong continued, glancing around the room slowly as if paranoid that the vampire could hear him somehow, as if he’d never spoken out like this before. “He’s aggressive when he doesn’t get what he wants, which is the biggest issue here. Even though Himchan is his child, he’ll still get angry, even violent, if any of us don’t go along with his plans.” 

Jongup’s eyebrows knitted together, his fingers slowly slipping off the hilt of his dagger and falling to rest on his thigh. Junhong sighed. “Youngjae is special, I’ve never seen another human like him. But Jaehwan caught onto that when you three made the news a few months ago, and he decided that he wanted Youngjae to himself. Magic is like alcohol in a vampire sense, like a drug, and Jaehwan owns one of the largest feeder houses in the city. He figured… well if customers were addicted, if it was special, they’d come back.” 

Yongguk scoffed, glaring down at the table, the muscles of his forearms tense as he dug the nails of his right hand into the skin of his left. Junhong continued after confirming that the elder wasn’t planning on saying anything, his voice slow and unsteady, lacking the confidence he’d had earlier. “I… we don’t know what to do. Me and Daehyun, we both just want Youngjae free. It’s not fair to him, and we both hate Jaehwan, Daehyun especially. But Himchan is… really rule-abiding. He wants Youngjae gone too, but he also doesn’t want Jaehwan mad at us. If we set Youngjae free, the consequences on our family would be terrible, and Jaehwan would just come to find him again.” 

Jongup swallowed tightly, focusing on the empty pepper shaker in the middle of the table until his vision blurred a little and the object seemed to split into two fuzzy images. Yongguk spoke what he was thinking, his voice low and sorrowful. “So even if we get Youngjae back, we have this ancient asshole vampire coming after us.” Junhong nodded slowly. “It’s… what I had to warn you about first. If you two can come rescue him, we at least won’t be traitors in Jaehwan’s book, though we will suffer for letting him go in the first place. But you two… He’ll have a reason to come after you now, and he might not consider Youngjae worth the trouble of keeping alive if he has to chase him personally. There’s a massive risk for all of us, which is why I have some conditions, for all of our sakes.” Jongup whipped his head up, focus rushing back to his eyes as he turned his gaze to the vampire who didn’t look back to him, who was staring straight at Yongguk with confidence that he’d severely lacked just minutes ago. 

“My conditions… You can’t hurt my family. Himchan or Daehyun, you can’t hurt either of them no matter whether they attack you or get in your way.” Yongguk’s eyes narrowed, but Junhong didn’t waver. “You can’t attack or hurt me, either. I’ll do my best to help, but I need to feel safe around you two to do that. I won’t hurt you, and once I explain this to Daehyun he probably won’t try to either. I’m going to try and get Himchan out of the house so that you don’t have to deal with him, but in any situation, you can’t-”

“We won’t hurt your family. Continue,” Yongguk muttered impatiently. Junhong nodded, let out a conscious breath and loosened his hands from where they were held tightly together. “I need at least a day to set this up. To let Youngjae know that you’re coming, to figure out how to let you in without Jaehwan knowing that it was intentional. I need a day, maybe two. I promise I’ll do everything I can to keep him safe until then. Jaehwan is at a meeting out of town, he shouldn’t be back to do anything for a while so that’s a reassurance.” 

Jongup was the first to dispute. His hands swam through the air towards Yongguk, his eyes narrowed and desperate. Yongguk sighed. “Jongup, it…” Another thick sigh. “He… has a point. We don’t want to rush in there without planning either. If we get killed by that Himchan asshole-” Junhong flinched but didn’t say anything. “-then we can’t do anything for Jae even if we do make it to him. This is a coven we’re walking into. Who’s on our side and who isn’t… We can’t rely on this Daehyun or even you, Junhong, to stay on our side. If Himchan told you to fight, what would you do?” 

Junhong tensed, and it seemed that he really didn’t know the answer. “I’d… try to fight in a way where no one got hurt I guess. It wouldn’t be that hard, I’m fucking pathetic in any form of combat.” Yongguk nodded, bringing a hand up to run through his dark hair before lowering it back to fold into his other hand again. “Us being on the same team is complicated, Junhong,” Yongguk continued, and Jongup was honestly surprised at how… civilized the elder was being. This was a vampire sitting in their kitchen, but Yongguk had transitioned from panicked and prepared for attack to… almost treating Junhong the way he treated Youngjae when they first met. Scolding and parenting, disdainful but respectful in a strange balance. Jongup didn’t like it, how Yongguk had fallen to trust this vampire. Yongguk was always right, after all. If Junhong was truly to be trusted, Yongguk would know, but he didn’t -want- to trust Junhong. 

“Because you’re stuck in the middle. You’re trying to help the enemy of your family right now, I’m sure you realize that.” Junhong nodded gently, and for the first time in the night he looked tired, enthusiasm entirely lost. “If Himchan told you to kill us, you’d be stuck and would eventually have to decide who to break ties with. And the wisest solution, whether you’ll admit it or not, would be to turn against us. How can we trust that we’ll walk out of that house and come out with Youngjae alive?”

“Because of Daehyun,” Junhong whispered. Yongguk cocked and eyebrow, and Jongup himself was confused by the statement. “Because Daehyun almost certainly would refuse to fight against anyone helping Youngjae. He’s never betrayed Himchan before, but I’m watching him collapse into himself with guilt every day that goes by. If you two came, if there was a chance that Youngjae could be saved without Jaehwan attacking our coven, Daehyun would take that chance. Even if I’m too scared to… Daehyun is way tougher than me, I guess. He loves Youngjae, even if that disgusts humans to consider, a vampire loving a human. He really does love him.” Yongguk bowed his head, Jongup’s eyes slipped down to the table. It was uncomfortable to consider. Would a lion fall in love with a rabbit? Yes, but only for the taste. How could it be any different? In a society where vampires terrorized humans, how could a predator fall in legitimate love with its prey? It was wrong, it couldn’t be as simple as that. But again, Jongup remembered the night of the orphanage. Was Youngjae really just claimed by this vampire? That had to be it, not love, because vampires couldn’t love humans just like a human could in no way love a vampire. But if Daehyun would truly help them, then did it matter whether it was real love or not? 

“Tomorrow night, let’s meet again. I’m going to reset the wards on the house, so just go to the backyard. The wards will sense you and we can talk again. Until then, find a way to keep your family safe and we’ll find a way to keep ours safe. The night after tomorrow we’ll go in. Does this work for you?” Yongguk stared at the vampire for a long time as Junhong considered what he said, finally nodding and rubbing his eyes, making to stand up. “That works. But either way, I think the sun is going to come up soon. I need to get home before that.” Jongup glanced to the clock and winced. It was already six in the morning despite how the conversation only felt thirty or so minutes long. He stood as well, and he wasn’t fond of how the vampire towered over him, nearly six inches taller. It made him feel inferior, which wasn’t exactly what he was comfortable with considering exactly what Junhong was. But Yongguk didn’t seem uncomfortable with the vampire anymore, so Jongup had to force himself to feel the same, to trust Junhong, Mul, to trust a vampire when he’d never believe that he truly could. 

Junhong turned to the two of them, awkward in stance and biting his lip, before softly saying, “Thank you for listening to me. I’ll be back tomorrow.” Yongguk nodded firmly, Jongup didn’t respond. He watched the vampire’s back turned and wondered why he felt no urge to dive in for an attack at that vulnerable moment, he watched the vampire who seemed so strangely human walk out their sliding door, and in an instant it vanished into the cool air of the sprouting dawn. 

Yongguk bowed his head, the two frozen in place for just over a moment before the elder walked and swung open the fridge, pulling out two bottles of cream soda as he knew that Jongup couldn’t legally drink yet and didn’t want to drink without him. Normally it was Youngjae who he’d share a beer with, the magica always mumbling that he hated the taste of beer despite chugging it down. The way they’d cut up on those nights, the way Jongup would have to half carry Youngjae to bed and escort a stumbling, giggly Yongguk, the way the music would blare and they would sing shittily, he missed those nights so dearly. Would they ever come back? Even if Youngjae was back to them, would they ever find the peace that they once had? 

He took a sip of the soda but it was too sweet on his tongue, the first time in his life that he hadn’t found himself enjoying it. He just wanted his brother back, he wanted his family back. He wanted to hug Youngjae tightly and teach him how to play the piano like he’d been asking for so long, he wanted to never go on another hunt again after this and surely Yongguk felt the same. Maybe they could make up some excuse to leave this cruel city, to give up their civil duty and go somewhere safer, somewhere calmer. Maybe once Youngjae was back they could escape to somewhere where they wouldn’t have to worry about bites or attacks, about hunts or kidnappings. Maybe when, if, they saved Youngjae, things would go back to normal, and they could finally relax again for the first time in nearly a month. 

But things wouldn’t go back to normal, and Jongup hated how reliable such a drifting thought was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this chapter took a bit, I had a struggle with writer’s block ;_; But it’s back <3 I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I promised that it would be more mellow, but I couldn’t figure out how to necessarily make it -happier- so here we are with a nice in-between. There’s a solution, but will it work out? I hope this story stays exciting and interesting, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thank you for reading <3


	29. Recall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I hope this chapter is okay. Given that its only one perspective, I may do a double update. We'll see. I hope this chapter is okay <3 It will cover a few questions yall have had. 
> 
> Warning in this chapter for violence and gore.

‘I’m taking my revenge now.’ 

The words echoed through Himchan’s skull as if in a hollow room, and he wished he could make Daehyun take them back. He’d always hoped his child would forget that promise, and he always knew that he wouldn’t, not with Jaehwan consistently still in the picture, not after the severity of what happened. 

Two hundred years was a long time, and Himchan was the only child of thirteen that wasn’t raised under Jaehwan’s strict watch. This was his condition when he was turned, to have his own freedom, to make his own choices, and Jaehwan permitted it as long as he was obedient and behaved when he was asked to. In those times, it was rare that Jaehwan would ask him for anything. Himchan would spend his time exploring the world, blossoming his own morals as Jaehwan’s own agenda wasn’t one he wanted any part in. He learned easily over the first hundred years of vampirism that humans, selfish, wicked humans, were nothing to care for. 

War was disgusting, he watched personally as guns were fired and bodies dropped to the mud, he watched as families tore themselves apart with greed, he watched as children learned how to kick stray dogs from their fathers and how to trash talk other children from their mothers. An endless cycle of selfishness, one that he had once participated in as a human, no longer resonated with him. Humans that ruined the lives of others for their own gain… How could they be the same humans that swore they didn’t deserve to be bitten? At least vampires drank when they had to for the most part. Humans didn’t have to steal, they didn’t have to scold or abuse others, not to survive. Hypocrites? Even worse. He felt no guilt in his hunts only months after turning, he found himself enjoying finding specific targets that had done more wrong than others. 

But sometimes, Jaehwan did call him, as he did on a Sunday evening right as the sun was dipping. He remembers specifically crawling out of the bed in his small, rundown home, sighing as whoever was knocking on the door was being as obnoxious as possible. He’d opened it and seen Jaehwan and a feeling had hit him that evening that something rather eventful was going to take place. 

Jaehwan’s other children were busy, and Jaehwan said he would seem more intimidating if he were alone. Himchan hadn’t understood this, given that he himself had a natural cold stare and a stern resting expression when Jaehwan looked like a sunny, young man, but he hadn’t argued. Jaehwan had said that he’d heard news of something, something spectacular, but Himchan hadn’t listened much to the explanation. A human who could wield fire. A witch, it would be called in older days, but somehow this human was living and expressing its fire without being murdered for it. 

They went to a small village, one so small Himchan hadn’t even heard of it despite living in the country for all of his hundred and forty years. The roads were made of dirt as if no car had ever driven on them, the houses were rickety and old; It was as if the village was set back twenty or more years into the past, lost to technology. Jaehwan had parked his Chrysler back near a pair of oak trees and they’d walked the rest of the way. It was such a clear memory for how unimportant it had been at first, but perhaps his subconscious had been more sure than he that it would absolutely be an eventful night and had saved the images clearly. 

They walked through this village, Himchan following Jaehwan’s footsteps because the man clearly knew more of where he was going than he himself did. There were gas lanterns hanging from houses as if even electric lighting hadn’t been brought in yet, and while the village didn’t seem necessarily poor, it was absolutely rural enough to have avoided the technological spurt in the recent years. Stores were already closed, market venues were vacant as the night had fallen in full, and the moonlight was their guide to a small house at the end of the row of other small houses, one that didn’t seem particularly unique in any form. Three knocks. An extended wait. Three more knocks, and the door was opening. 

The woman who’d appeared before them was, unlike the house, unlike the village, extremely unusual in that she was extremely beautiful, though Himchan had to scan her a number of times to figure out what made this so. Her hair was thick, dark brown and braided down her back, whisps of bangs messy in the front as if she’d just been sleeping on her stomach. Her nightgown fell to her ankles, her eyes were sleepy and… 

Her eyes. That was it, what made her special, and Himchan remembers staring into those eyes even after Jaehwan began to speak. They were so light, unusually so, almost orange in how they were brown. The lighting of the lanterns from inside the house cast onto her back and creased shadows over her form. She didn’t sound pleased that they were there. 

“Sirs, I’m not sure why you’ve come or what you’re here at my specific house for, but I must ask you to leave. I have a child sleeping and it’s far too late to welcome guests,” she sighed, her voice a melody in and of itself, and Jaehwan’s charisma is what kept the door open. “I apologize, ma’am, we’re actually travellers. Forgive me that it’s so late, but I heard of your… condition. I want to offer some help.” Right as her hand had drifted to the doorknob to shut it, she froze like a beam, static for a good three seconds before releasing her breath slowly as if counting the seconds on it. “My condition,” she muttered carefully, eyes lifting to look around as if wondering if anyone was hiding in the shadows behind them. After confirming that the two men were alone, she glanced into the house behind her, considering her options, before sighing harshly. “Okay, come in, but only for a few minutes. And be sure to be quiet, and to take off your shoes. Daehyunnie is a light sleeper, he won’t fall asleep again if he’s woken.” Jaehwan had bowed and Himchan was quick to do the same. He wasn’t sure why Jaehwan had brought them here to this supposed fire-wielding human, but he wasn’t arguing. The woman’s eyes were beautiful for sure, but the smell of her blood was exquisite. If Jaehwan had come here to drink from her, Himchan wouldn’t be opposed. 

“Now tell me, how did you learn of this town? Of me?” she interrogated, motioning for them to sit at a rugged wooden table as she made way towards a small kitchen. There was no stove but there was a yellowing refrigerator pressed between the wall and the countertops. In the center of the small kitchen though was a pot and what looked like a dulled fire pit, clean and dried wood already stacked under a hanging cast-iron pot. He watched carefully as the woman drew close to the pot, but she passed it by to open the refrigerator and pull out a pitcher of lemon water. Jaehwan watched her back excitedly, smiling maybe too widely. “You know how rumors spread. I heard that you’re able to cast fire from your palms and ignite your arms, is this true?” The woman stalled again, and Himchan noted the subtle clench of her jaw as she reached up to the cabinets to pull down three pale mugs. Jaehwan hurried, “We’re not trying to harm you, please don’t be concerned. It’s a matter of curiosity. I’m always searching for people to assist, as I have quite the sum of money and no wife or children to spend it on. I heard of you and thought that you might be in danger by people who feel threatened by your strange ability, and yet you’re living here peacefully, even with a child.” 

The woman hummed, eyes cast down as she filled the mugs with the cold water and carried them to the table, placing one in front of each male and one on the other side, sitting down in one of the creakier chairs and sighing as she held the ceramic between her delicate fingers. “The village hated me when I first moved here, they wanted to turn me into the authorities and let them have their way, though I’m not sure what they’d do with someone as strange as me.” Himchan took a sip of the water and cringed slightly at the sour aftertaste left by the lemon. He wasn’t so fond of human drink anymore compared to the alternative, but it wasn’t like he couldn’t consume it. They were lucky that the room wasn’t well lit, that the redness in their eyes wasn’t so bright. The human world didn’t know openly of vampires just like it didn’t know openly of magic; Perhaps they and this woman had more in common than he’d originally considered, hiding in plain sight. 

“But I began assisting them. I had a husband when I came here, he was a charming man and that benefitted us well. I would light lanterns and fireplaces, and a few winters ago a large storm rolled through. That’s why they let me and Daehyun, my son, stay here, even after my husband went off to the city. As long as I can light a torch without a match and prepare warm meals, they haven’t gone around telling about my ‘condition’ as you put it. This is why I’m so concerned with how two complete strangers are here in my house now asking about it.” 

“Ah, don’t be worried. My informants are some of the best, I’m sure no one went out of their way to spill word about your talent,” Jaehwan assured. “But I’m sure that it’s rough, living as a practical servant for this village that would toss you aside if you didn’t.” The woman bowed her head, her bangs falling over her beautiful eyes, and she still hadn’t taken a single sip of her drink, too distracted to do so. “It is rough, but what else can I do?” 

Jaehwan had opened his mouth to respond, but he was cut off abruptly by a small, high voice echoing from the now opened door to the back wall. “Momma?” The woman stood immediately, her chair scraping as it was shoved back, and she hurried towards the darker part of the house. “Go back to sleep, baby, it’s just some company.” 

“Can I see?” 

Himchan heard the woman sigh and acquiesce, and a boy around the age of six or seven hurried to the table, his eyes wide in awe at the two men sitting upright in their chairs. “City men!” he gasped before hurrying to Jaehwan, who pretended to be pleased despite Himchan’s better judgement. “You’re from the city right? What’s it like? Are you papa’s friends?” 

“Daehyun, sit down and be quiet if you’re going to be awake,” the woman sighed before making her way back to her chair, the child obediently climbing into the one next to her. She pushed her water to him and he took a sip. Himchan noted that his eyes were dark, much unlike his mother’s. She hadn’t mentioned that he had the fire ability as well, so there was a high chance that the color of her irises were affected by the magic, that the son didn’t have such a quality. 

Jaehwan chuckled. “We are from the city, but I don’t think we know your father. We just came for a visit to discuss some things with your mother.” Daehyun glanced up at the woman through his long, messy bangs, and she shook her head slowly. “If it’s not rude to ask, please tell me rather soon what you have to offer us. It’s getting late and I’m rather tired, as well as still confused as to why you’d come all this way to visit us without even a warning.” Jaehwan nodded, leaning on the table, his mug forgotten. Himchan finished the water in his own off and lowered it silently to the table, watching the mother, son, and his master closely. “I’ve actually met a few people like you, people with a magical ability to do something spectacular. A man in the States that I met could control electricity, can you believe that? A woman from Nigeria was able to chill or even freeze things under her touch. These people were all so amazing, and yet all discriminated against because their abilities were unusual, incomprehensible. Even now we don’t know the cause of such magic appearing rarely in humans like this, but I’ve always been fascinated by it.” 

The woman seemed skeptical, but her son, oh how her son was entranced. He leaned on his elbows across the table, sitting in the chair on his knees, wide eyed and dreamily staring outward as if imagining these people using such powers, imagining having such powers for himself. Jaehwan smiled down to him before glancing back up to the mother, his eyes softening. “We can offer money, for one. If you’d just demonstrate your ability to me, I can give you that much. I can also offer a lifelong protection for you and your son so that you never have to worry about being targeted. We have a manor for people who are in such rough places. We could easily spare a suite in the city and enough funds to live comfortably on if only to keep such beautiful magic present in the world.” 

“A manor..?!” the boy cooed, and the woman sighed, reaching down and stroking a hand through his dark hair. “We don’t need a manor,” she admitted. “We just need stability. I don’t want to take up your offer if it means that we’re going to move for a year then get kicked out again. Once we leave this village, it’ll be difficult to return without some sort of frustration from the other residents.” Jaehwan nodded with a hum, replying quickly, “Yes, but as I said, this is a lifelong offer. As I explained, I have far too much money and want to spend it on bringing up people like you who are able to contribute so much to our dull world.” 

There was silence in the kitchen other than the boy hitting his ankles on the legs of the chair, and the woman finally softly responded, “Let me think about it.” 

Two weeks later and they were back, knocking at the same door at the same time of night, but the little boy answered it this time. “Mr. Lee, Mr. Kim!” he bellowed excitedly, a loud shush echoing from further back in the house followed by a call of, “Daehyun, you’re going to wake the neighbors!” They’d stepped past the threshold of the house to find a leather suitcase laying open on the floor, filled with clothes and cheap jewelry. Daehyun was practically dancing around the house, jittery with childlike excitement. Jaehwan sneered at the child when its back turned, and Himchan couldn’t blame him. Neither were fond of children, of loudness nor hyperactivity, but they had to play an act. This was all for a bigger cause after all, and Himchan felt no guilt when the woman came out with a trench coat over her dress, short heels clicking on the wooden floors. “Daehyun, settle down,” she sighed, the child nodding and rushing to her side and hugging around her stomach. “We’re moving to the city!” he cooed and she nodded, a gentle smile breaking over her face before she turned towards Jaehwan. “I wanted to discuss something with you personally. Could Mr. Kim take Daehyun outside for a moment?” 

Himchan wasn’t fond of the idea, but Jaehwan bellowed out, “Of course! Himchan?” And as per request, he turned and let the little boy squeeze his mother a little tighter before breaking free to run outside. Himchan closed the door behind him and sighed, sitting on the porch and staring out into the night. Daehyun had jumped down the three steps in a single hop, his smile wide and innocent as he turned toward Himchan and asked excitedly, “What’s the manor like?” Himchan had to swallow, make up an excuse on the fly. It wasn’t too far from the truth after all, though he was sparing some important details. “Oh, it’s lovely,” he said with rather lacking enthusiasm. After all, he’d seen much more grand structures in his day than some mansion. “Five floors, all luxury carpeting and furniture. An in house chef, servants to keep the place tidy.” The child gasped in awe, staring up at his own rugged house as if comparing the two in his mind. 

“It sounds beautiful,” he whispered and Himchan nodded. What they weren’t mentioning was that this wasn’t some home for magicas, wasn’t some home for people Jaehwan pitied, though both were key targets for the building. It was Jaehwan’s feeder house, his largest one, a manor of, as explained, five stories that housed sixteen feeders. This woman would be the seventeenth, perhaps Daehyun would be the eighteenth depending on how he adhered to the training. Jaehwan had nothing against making children feeders, had nothing against anything considering his moral standpoint on humans. He didn’t mind lying to this family about where they were going and how they’d be treated there, and to be honest, Himchan hadn’t either. They were just humans, regardless of how special the woman was. It would just make her a better feeder if her blood was unique. 

“Are there other people living there right now?” Daehyun asked, hopping up to sit on the porch step with Himchan. The vampire nodded, feeling just the slightest trickle of guilt as he responded, “A few yes, but they’re all friendly.” 

“Are there other kids?” Himchan glanced down to Daehyun, to his soft face, to the mole beneath his eye, to the little bags there that made him look and seem almost puppy-like. “Not necessarily, but you’ll make friends for certain, don’t worry.” He tried to imagine biting this child, but his moral compass didn’t enjoy the thought. He’d leave feeding from minors to Jaehwan. He did consider the taste of the woman’s blood though, given how it smelled. That was a bite he longed to take for certain. 

And then it happened. She screamed.

“Get out of my house! Get out, right now!” Both Daehyun and Himchan jumped, glancing back towards the door in alarm. What was going on…? “You think you can take my child away from me, you’re an idiot, Mr. Lee!” And Daehyun was on his feet. “Momma…?!” he called in a panic as he rushed towards the door. But Himchan was on Jaehawn’s side, and he was quick to grab the child and pull him back, locking him behind his arms. “What are you doing?!” Daehyun asked, scratching annoyingly at his arms, stomping on Himchan’s formal shoes. 

But just like Himchan had gotten the feeling that the previous day would be eventful, he’d also in that split second gotten such a strange feeling that something was about to go terribly wrong. 

There was a burst of light and Jaehwan screamed, Himchan’s gut turning at the sound as he’d never in his hundred-forty years of being a vampire heard Jaehwan in pain. And then the woman screamed again, screeched, gutteral and wrong in a way that hurt Himchan’s ears. Daehyun struggle grew immensely stronger and Himchan had to lift him from the ground to keep him still, flitting backwards off the porch and standing back on the dirt road, cupping a hand over the kid’s mouth as he screamed for his mother, fought to get to her. Something was horribly, disgustingly wrong, and Himchan realized that smoke was rising from the chimney, from the cracks in the windows, the house was smoking, the house was on fire…! He felt Daehyun’s tears on his hand but he refused to let the child go. Whatever had gone wrong in there, he’d figure it out from Jaehawn later. The woman screamed and screamed, loud and wet as if there were water in her throat, choked sobs echoing from the closed door of the house. And finally, Himchan let go to figure out what the hell was going on. 

Daehyun shoved away and ran to the door, flinging it open and choking on smoke as he ran inside with his hand over his mouth and nose. Himchan had no need to cover his own lungs, given that he didn’t need to breathe, and a dark feeling overturned his stomach despite how sweet the blood smelled, so vibrant now that it had left its resident body. 

Jaehwan was standing in the center of the room, by the table that was splattered with blood. There was blood everywhere, pooling on the floor, sprayed against the wall, on the man’s hands and clothes, soaking into Daehyun’s socks as the boy had frozen like a deer in headlights, staring down at the absolute mess just a foot away. 

An arm was lying on its own, the torso was clawed to bits, the face was almost unrecognizable, and Himchan felt sick at the gruesome image of a human body torn to pieces. Jaehwan growled as he turned and his red eyes locked onto Daehyun, who hadn’t even noticed that Jaehwan was still in the room, his eyes wide and blurrily focused on the mess on the floor. “Mom..ma…” he whispered, his voice rough from the smoke that bellowed from a small fire spreading from the far wall in their direction, slowly but surely. Jaehwan’s arm was blackened and charred, the disgusting, foul burn spreading all the way up to his shoulder. Daehyun coughed, it was jagged, he gagged on a sob as he collapsed and the blood was now soaking into the knees of his pants as well. “Momma…?” he whispered. Over and over like a broken record as his violently trembling hands reached out and touched the vague image of a face that had been clawed across diagonally. The uninjured eye was closed, and Daehyun lowered his face to touch the bloody mess of a cheek beneath it. “Momma… Momma…” he sobbed, it sounded so rough and ugly from the smoke in the child’s lungs. Jaehwan was a statue, staring at this child numbly as if dissociated, Himchan could see the anger writhing in his eyes. “What… Momma…” He didn’t stop, it was as if he couldn’t, as if he couldn’t keep whispering this even as he couldn’t breathe through the fumes echoing from the house. The fire was spreading wider now. They needed to leave. 

Jaehwan turned to Himchan who was trying to hold back a gag at the mangled flesh on the living room floor, the master’s eyes firey and cold all at once. “Take the kid. It’ll be the feeder,” he muttered without an explanation, before turning and walking out of the house. 

Daehyun cried as Himchan grabbed him. The world was a blur, and Himchan wondered if he’d ever seen something so awful before, positive that he’d never observed such a gruesome sight, smelled blood so strongly, in his life. The child was a storm in his arms, sobbing and clawing at its own skin, writhing with instinctual panic. “No, no!!! I have to go back, Momma!!!” he screamed, and Himchan was sure that neighbors would be waking to the noise to find fire in their village. The fire had gnawed at the wall enough to collapse a structure, the fire had spread up into the roof and it was visible from the outside now, the flickering of it illuminating the tears on the child’s face, the blood on his hands and clothes as his sobs were broken and cracked. 

He finally cried himself to sleep, and Himchan followed Jaehwan back to the car, placed the child into the backseat and climbed into the passenger seat. The atmosphere of the vehicle was heavy and thick, and Jaehwan sighed as he turned around in his seat to back up. “You’re going to ask why I did it?” he assumed, and Himchan bowed his head. Never had he been so afraid of his master, so uncomfortable with the man. The woman who’d cared so much for her son, the woman they’d talked to… How could someone conscious turn into… that…? Into just flesh and blood spread out on a small house’s living room floor? How had Jaehwan let her child see that? Himchan wasn’t sympathetic of humans, but even that much was cruel, was awful. Would anyone sane tear a mother bird apart in front of its children? How would Daehyun turn out as a feeder after witnessing something like that? The child would probably go insane. 

“Why did you do it…?” Himchan finally asked. Jaehwan huffed, and Himchan watched from the corner of his eye as the blackened skin of Jaehwan’s arm was already healing quickly, building new flesh over the raw remains. “She was too smart,” Jaehwan complained. “She knew something was off, and she knew that our intentions weren’t… well. She burned me, and I got angry.” That was it. He got angry. 

He got angry, so he tore her into pieces and let her child see the remains. He got angry. 

This was the beginning of Himchan’s distrust for Jaehwan, dislike for the elder. When Daehyun woke, Himchan didn’t stop his cries. When Daehyun threw open the door of the car and tumbled out, neither Himchan nor Jaehwan cared to go back for him. After all, the actual prize, the magica, was now probably ashes on the floor of a burning house. Daehyun was just a child, now traumatized, that would probably die from smoke inhalation on the vacant roadside. 

Himchan was walking the city fifteen years later and came across a man, lying on a bench and staring up at the stars. It was sheer coincidence that the man happened to have a mole on his cheek, happened to have messy brown hair and cold, broken eyes. How Daehyun had survived was never something he’d learned, how Daehyun had made it to Seoul and had kept himself sane, Himchan didn’t know. He intended to pass the child up, both pity and guilt playing into the decision, but Daehyun had recognized him immediately. 

“Kim Himchan,” he’d quietly growled out, and despite the darkness in his tone, he didn’t make an effort to rise from the bench. “I’d prayed that I’d never see you again,” Himchan responded cooly. “You lived.”

“I lived,” Daehyun repeated with a bitter laugh, squeezing his eyes shut. “You could say that. I wish I didn’t, but here we are.” The two fell silent, Himchan standing in the street, staring down at this young man on the bench who was staring just as intensely at the stars above. “Lee Jaehwan… is he dead?” 

Of course, Daehyun wouldn’t know that vampires were immortal, would he? Himchan watched the young man’s expression darken. He’d grown rather handsome in these fifteen years, but his eyes were so cold, so cruel. It was reasonable. “He’s alive, but he doesn’t have to be,” Himchan finally commented, only hoping that his master wasn’t somehow nearby. It wasn’t likely. Daehyun glanced in his direction, and Himchan sighed. “What he did… It was awful, even by my own standards. I’m not in a position to rebel, but you…”

“I’m just some fucking homeless kid in this massive city, you think I could fight a demon like that..?” 

“Not in your current state, but I have an offer to make you. I don’t know how you’ve made it this far, but I doubt you’ll keep going on the streets for very much longer right? Look at you.” Daehyun was thin, he was frail, and he looked sickly. He’d probably grown up on tips and street smarts. “Jung Daehyun…” Himchan muttered, and Daehyun stared at him tiredly. “Jaehwan ruined your life. Do you want to get him back for this, do you want to live?” A blink, slow and steady, a cautious gaze, a dark, suspicious one. “If you do, I can give you life. Eternal life. I can get you close to him. As I said, I’m not in a position to rebel, but I can give this to you.” He didn’t know what he was doing, he’d never wanted a coven of his own, he’d never wanted the responsibility. And yet here he was, almost with fate guiding his words, staring down at the child who had cooed so excitedly about moving to the city, who had hugged his mother so tightly. 

“If you want to get Jaehwan back for what he did, follow me.” He turned, his paces were slow and steady. And after he was nearly out of sight from the bench, he heard quiet footsteps from behind.


	30. The Plan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DOUBLE UPDATE. Be sure to read the previous chapter, Recall, if you haven't yet!

The sun began to peak over the horizon and the front door slammed. Himchan flitted from his bedroom to the living room in an instant, looking tired beyond what he should. “Junhong, you’re back,” he sighed, relief tinting his tone, and the younger nodded gently as if noting that his master seemed almost pitiful with exhaustion. “Sorry for not telling you that I was going out. I needed a break.” Himchan understood, he himself needed a break. Junhong going on a walk wasn’t something that he had any reason to be upset about, his children weren’t meant to be caged in this house after all. It was almost nice to consider that Junhong had decided to leave rather than cooping himself up in his room as he usually did, and he took that as one good thing to happen that night. 

“You look… really tired, Himchan,” Junhong admitted, making his way to the squishy armchair that he always frequented and plopping down into it with a soft exhale, Himchan following to the couch and gently lowering down. “A lot happened last night. The human escaped, but we got… we got him back.” Junhong’s eyes flitted up, wide and shocked, before he slowly whispered, “Shit…” 

“Did you forget to lock the door? It was an accident, right?” Junhong swallowed tightly, nodding as if entranced, lost in thought suddenly. “I… Himchan, you know that I’m worried about Youngjae, but him running away would put him in far more danger than being here. I honestly forgot, there was so much on my mind and-” he began to ramble, but Himchan didn’t need to hear anymore. “It’s fine, Junhong. Accidents happen, I just wanted to make sure that you weren’t picking up on Daehyun’s mentality.” The younger nodded guiltily before bringing his knees to his chest, hugging them tightly. “Is he okay? Youngjae?” 

“He’s scraped up and looks to have a fever, but he’s breathing. I sent Daehyun in there earlier to feed him, but it seems that he wouldn’t eat.” Junhong sighed, and Himchan wasn’t sure if he’d ever noticed how much his child still breathed despite not needing to. Junhong was an extremely late bloomer, almost to the extent of being worrisome, but he had all of eternity to mature so it wasn’t something he brought up. “He’s going to rot like this,” the younger mumbled. “Jaehwan won’t even want him if he’s skin and bones.” 

“Jaehwan will probably have him put on an IV when he arrives at the house, he’ll probably have a week or two to recuperate before beginning work. Jaehwan is… he’s honestly an awful person, but he’s careful with his feeders. They’re his business after all. He won’t let Youngjae stay weak like this, given his value.” Junhong hummed, but it sounded less than enthusiastic, and finally he asked, “Himchan, are… you really okay with this? Daehyun’s… I think this is different than usual. He’s actually in love.” The elder flinched at the words, shaking his head quickly. “He’s in love with the thought of being in love. This human is special, it’s pretty, it’s familiar. Once he loses it he’ll move on and find another to replace-”

“Aren’t you just saying that to convince yourself?” Himchan’s bowed head shot upward, and he stared at Junhong for a long while. Junhong’s gaze didn’t drop in submission, and his pink eyes were rather exhausted as well now that Himchan was analyzing them. Perhaps he was right. Daehyun’s infatuation with Youngjae was beyond what Himchan had seen before in his eldest child, and there was a clear reason why. Youngjae resembled his mother in ability and appearance, and Jaehwan wanted him all the same. It would make sense for Daehyun to feel an urge to protect what he couldn’t protect before, and in the process fall in love. Junhong was right in that Himchan didn’t want to admit it, but even still after knowing this… he couldn’t just… accept that this human had value to them. Jaehwan would take it whether they cared for it or not, it was better to not care than to be broken up over the loss. 

“I am,” he admitted with a groan, leaning back into the back cushion of the couch and rubbing his eyes. “But what else is there to do? Jaehwan’s coming in a few days, Junhong. We can’t hold onto him for much longer, so it’s better to cut ties. I’d say your goodbyes while you can, since I doubt Jaehwan will trust you or Daehyun enough to let you visit anytime soon.”

“Jaehwan’s coming soon…?” Junhong asked with wide eyes. “Like how soon?” Oops. He wasn’t meant to tell his children, but he could at the very least be vague. “A few days, probably, whenever he feels like it.” It wasn’t true. Jaehwan would absolutely come the night after this one, but he couldn’t give Junhong nor Daehyun incentive to do something stupid. Junhong bowed his head before asking gently, “Where’s Daehyun?” 

“He’s in his room, he might’ve gone to bed early.”

“Not visiting Youngjae?” 

“I let him do that earlier.” Junhong nodded fairly before sighing. “I’m gonna go check on him and head to sleep. You should rest too, you look… kinda more dead than you should.” It was a joke, but Himchan took it seriously because it was probably more truth than humor, rising and making his way towards the bedroom with a rub of his eyes. “Junhong,” he sighed, coming to a stop at the mouth of the hallway, turning to glance back uneasily. “When Jaehwan comes… don’t interfere, alright? I have a bad feeling about this. Daehyun said some things that made me unsettled over it. No matter what happens, either stay in your room or go out for the night, but don’t get involved please.” 

His younger child’s stare widened, and he didn’t want to think anymore, just wanted to fall asleep and drag one day closer to the night where he’d finally be rid of the conflict. Daehyun had sworn that he’d get his revenge, and Himchan realized once he closed his door and stared down at the sleeping magica (Daehyun had bandaged the bigger scrapes and covered it with a thin blanket) that he had to make a decision. 

What would Jaehwan do if… no, when… Daehyun interfered? Would he let Youngjae go? Would he put it off for another day when Daehyun wasn’t so prepared to defend the human? Or would he fight? It was difficult to tell, whether Jaehwan’s greed would overcome Himchan’s will. He didn’t doubt that Jaehwan would be willing to at least seriously injure Daehyun, but would he be willing to kill him if it came to it? 

Was Himchan prepared to lose Daehyun if this all went wrong…? The answer was an absolute no. Even just the thought was painful enough to make his throat tight enough to choke on. There was no arguing with his older child, not this time, not when Himchan had indeed promised him revenge when he’d turned him, but hell, he wasn’t prepared even after ninety years of waiting for this day to come. If Jaehwan wanted Daehyun to be dead, he would be. And Himchan, now considering this, didn’t doubt that Jaehwan would put his greed over his family in an instant. Jaehwan had told Himchan not to let his children interfere, and the words had been almost a warning. 

So, the question came to whether Himchan was prepared to fight Jaehwan for Daehyun. The answer was, again, an absolute no, but it was what he’d have to do if worst came to worst. If Jaehwan intended to just knock Daehyun out or anything along those lines, Himchan would allow it. But if Jaehwan intended to kill Daehyun, to do him serious harm… Himchan had long decided his priority was with his real family, the one he’d created, the one he’d raised. 

He fell back onto his bed, stared down at the cage where the human had rolled to face him, hugging the loose fabric of the blanket to his chest. He’d accepted only recently that it was Jaehwan causing all of this hell and not this human, but how could he forgive it anyway for this mess? He should’ve never agreed to take it, should’ve killed it when it attacked them that night and told Jaehwan it was some form of accident. He hoped that things would fall smoothly, that it would be a calm feeder that caused no trouble, that it would be satisfying for Jaehwan so that the man would settle and not ask anything more of them, that Daehyun could move on. He hoped that things would fall into place as they should, but his racing mind kept repeating Daehyun’s promise until the words lulled him to sleep. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Daehyun?” 

He didn’t hear the door open, nor the knocks that had sounded before it. Daehyun was laying in his bed, hugging a pillow to his chest, though he released it and sat up groggily as Junhong slipped into the room and gently shut the door behind him. 

“You’re back,” the elder said softly, his voice gentle as if he had been nearly asleep but not quite fully unconscious, and Junhong paced to sit on the other side of the bed. “Sorry if I woke you up,” he murmured, and Daehyun’s fragile smile fell apart, his eyes casting down as he replied, “You didn’t. I can’t sleep.” 

“Thinking too much? Youngjae?” Daehyun chuckled bitterly at Junhong’s inquiry, shaking his head slowly. “It’s always Youngjae lately.” He didn’t say any more, and Junhong finally spilled. “I went… Hell, you can’t tell Himchan any of this.” Daehyun quirked an eyebrow upward, his attention garnered. “I went to talk to the hunters last night. I told them that I could help them save Youngjae.” 

Daehyun’s eyes were orbs, wide and echoing, and his lip quivered when he opened his mouth to respond, “You didn’t.” Junhong nodded, swallowing tightly, feeling a wash of guilt rush over him at Daehyun’s absolute shock. “I did. I can’t do this anymore, and I know that you can’t either. That’s why I’m telling you this. They agreed to cooperate, I’m going back again tonight to talk with them and I want you to come with me.”

“Junhong, have you gone crazy..? They could’ve killed you, you know they could’ve easily just shot you through the-”

“I know, but I had to risk it. You were thinking about it too, right? If they come take Youngjae back, it won’t be on us. Himchan, Jaehwan, they don’t have to know that we were involved. We just have to do it before Jaehwan comes, sometime while Himchan is out of the house. If Youngjae were still in your room we could just do it in the morning, but since he’s in Himchan’s it makes it kind of complicated but… even still!” Daehyun was silent, staring down at the bedding as if lost in thought, though he nodded subtly when Junhong suggested the operation, clearly listening to his fullest extent. “You want Youngjae free as much if not more than I do. We can’t just do nothing. Himchan said that Jaehwan is coming soon.” Daehyun’s head whipped up, and the desperation in his eyes was his answer. “I’ll talk to them. They’re not hostile?” 

“They’re more concerned about Youngjae than they are about us being vampires. As long as we’re willing to help, they seem fine with us. I’ll tell you more about it when they’re with us. For now, I’m gonna go to sleep. I’m going to go back over there as soon as the sun sets again, so be ready okay? We should leave before Himchan wakes up.” Daehyun nodded, and Junhong paced to the door before stopping, looking back. “How’s Youngjae?”

Daehyun bowed his head low, shaking it slowly. “He’s okay for… for what he knows is going to happen. He’s still not eating. I’m not sure if he would stabilize again if he were bitten again, which is probably why Himchan hasn’t dranken from him since. I’m worried about whether Jaehwan would give a damn.” Junhong hummed, but he wasn’t so worried. “Jaehwan cares too much about Youngjae to let him get that bad off. At the very least, Jaehwan won’t want him getting hurt any further than he already is.” Junhong glanced down at the door handle, not feeling tired enough to sleep but knowing that he needed to if he was going to wake up early enough to see the humans before Himchan would wake up to note them leaving. “We’ll get him out, Daehyun. We have to.” 

The elder nodded, slipping further under his blankets and hugging the pillow back to his chest, clenching the cover of it between his fingers. “We have to,” he quietly repeated, and Junhong closed the door behind him silently when he left.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yongguk’s stomach was in knots that tightened more and more as the sun lowered to the ground, then beyond it. The vampire would come again, and he still wasn’t sure how to feel about the fact that they’d put the wards down again so laxly, so trustingly, when it could be coming with company that didn’t have such good opinions on them. Jongup was sitting on the couch, staring at the television as if he were actually watching the late night news and not lost in his thoughts, and Yongguk sighed as he slipped out his dagger and began to wipe it down with a soft cloth for the fifteenth time that night. His gun was already clean and freshly reloaded, and he’d chosen to keep Youngjae’s darts at his hip for more memory than concern. He wouldn’t have to use them, but the weight of them in their straps was a reminder of what they’d be doing tomorrow, the severe necessity of their success. 

He didn’t know how he’d face Youngjae when they saw him again. He knew the younger wouldn’t be mad, but Yongguk was angry enough at himself to cover for that. Youngjae was suffering, he suffered for three weeks and if they failed, if they somehow couldn’t save him… would they get another chance? How many times had Youngjae been bitten already, how many times had he cried? What was his health like, was he being fed? All Yongguk had to go off was a slow, steady heartbeat, all he could tell was that Youngjae was either asleep or in a calm state, whether that was caused by exhaustion or actual safety he didn’t know. Jongup kept touching the tattoo, even now as he watched the screen blankly, and Yongguk released his own in favor of walking to the sliding back doors. 

The vampire would be arriving soon; Junhong hadn’t specified a time when he said that he’d come back, but Yongguk was sure it would be earlier into the night if they were going to get any actual planning done. Just as he turned from the window, he heard a knock sound from the glass pane behind him, and his eyes narrowed as he turned around. 

Because there were two vampires there, one that was unfamiliar, and Junhong was switching his weight from his left foot to his right awkwardly as if unsure if Yongguk would accept the second guest. They locked eyes, and Yongguk didn’t glance back as he muttered, “They’re here.” Jongup was at his side in an instant, though his response was one of shock, and he quickly tugged Yongguk’s sleeve and signed, ‘That’s the vampire that protected Youngjae. That’s the one named Daehyun.’ 

The vampire named Daehyun had its hands in its pockets, its blonde head bowed and its ruby eyes cast down. It was much shorter than Junhong as they all were despite it wearing slightly elevated black boots, and Yongguk instantly hated it more. This was the one that had ‘saved’ Youngjae that night and convinced him that going out to see vampires was something you could just do without massive consequences. He wouldn’t forgive it, and he cracked the door open to say so when Junhong quickly stuttered out, “He’s here to help! He’s more concerned for Youngjae than anyone in our house. He was going to break him out himself if we didn’t come.” Yongguk growled low into his throat. This wasn’t a fucking party, this was a vital mission, and more faces meant more hassle. But he tore open the door and marched away from it, hand on his gun in case this Daehyun decided to be less friendly than Junhong expressed.

But both of the vampires walked in carefully, spent a minute taking off their shoes. Junhong kept glancing up to Jongup, who blatantly ignored him, and Daehyun hadn’t made eye contact with anyone as he pushed his boots against the wall and went to sit in the seat that Youngjae once frequented at the kitchen table. Yongguk tried not to consider how irritating it was to see this vampire taking up Youngjae’s place despite it being such a petty thing to grow agitated over, falling back into his own chair and not caring that Junhong didn’t have a place to sit once Jongup sat down. Junhong swallowed as he was the only one left standing, rocking on his feet again before decidedly leaning back against the counter. 

“So you’re Daehyun,” Yongguk started, not disguising the spite laced within his words. Daehyun nodded, and he seemed to already know what Yongguk was going to say. “You did it right? You locked him up? Convinced him to come see you then fucking ruined his life?” 

“Yes, that was me,” and Yongguk didn’t expect such a clear, simple admittance. Jongup’s eyes narrowed, but Junhong was quick to save his brother’s image. “We were told to, it was just following orders. That Jaehwan guy I told you about last time, he wanted to make Daehyun do it because he was already close to Youngjae and-”

“I don’t care. It’s over now. If you’re going to help, then you will.” Junhong pressed his lips together tightly at Yongguk’s words as the elder human sighed and reached for a notebook laying out where the salt and pepper shakers were last night, grabbing the pencil shoved through the spiral binding and whipping the cover open to the first blank page. “So the plan that we decided last time was that we would come in on our own and you two would assist once we arrived. Our issues at the moment are the vampire Himchan and the vampire Jaehwan. What do you say we do?” 

There was a pause, before Daehyun was responding. “Himchan won’t hurt us, and we won’t let him get to you. He’ll be angry, but he’s never hurt us and he won’t. Jaehwan shouldn’t be there, but…”

“He said that he’s coming soon,” Junhong muttered in completion, and Daehyun sighed. “Yeah. He said he’s coming soon. If soon ends up being tomorrow…” He shook his head slowly. “We’re dead. It’s likely that we’re all dead or at least severely injured. He…” Daehyun paused and swallowed, his inhale stuttery and his exhale graduate. “He’s volatile when his plans fall through, when people go against his way. He’d kill you two for sure, he’d probably kill me and Junhong if we were too much in the way. As for Youngjae… I honestly don’t know how much he cares. He’s killed magicas before for not going with him, but Youngjae’s not in a state to really fight back either.”

“What do you mean?” Yongguk asked warily, and Daehyun’s voice softened. “He won’t eat. He sleeps all day. Yesterday he came down with a fever. He’s ill. He actually escaped the other day but he barely made it a quarter mile before collapsing.” Jongup bit his lip, bringing his arms slowly to his stomach to loosely hug himself as Yongguk’s fingers tightened around the pencil between them. “Even if we get Youngjae out of that cage before Himchan finds us, someone’s going to have to practically carry him. He’s been sitting almost constantly for over three weeks now, I doubt that he has the coordination to really move much, let alone fight with us. And Junhong may not even fight, given that he’s not nearly as for the idea of upsetting Himchan if he can help it.” All eyes dragged to the younger vampire, and he whispered a quiet ‘sorry’ that had Jongup sighing loosely. 

“So we have… Daehyun, are you reliable even if Himchan tells you to go against us?” Daehyun nodded immediately as if he’d already considered this long in the past, responding, “I want Youngjae safe. I did this to him, I need to fix this before it’s too late. If Jaehwan gets him to that feeder house it’ll be three times harder to get him out.” Yongguk nodded firmly. At least they could partially rely on one of the vampires to fight, though he wasn’t fully sure that he trusted this one. Junhong was bumbling, they could just kill him if he turned out to be an adversary. Daehyun didn’t give off the same atmosphere, his movements clean, his eyes alert. He was older, it was easy to tell, and he would be stronger and better at hiding such strength. They’d have to watch their backs if they were going to trust these two, but what other option did they have? 

“So tell me about this house,” Yongguk asked next, leaning into the notebook and waiting as Junhong answered, “It’s on the outskirts of the southern part of town. You take Fifty-fifth down towards Yeoreum and take a left at the third intersection. It’s about a twenty minute drive from here.” Yongguk nodded and began to sketch out a shallow map of their city, following roads towards where this house would supposedly be as Junhong further described the exact location. He was always a visual learner, and having a map like this was infinitely easier than trying to remember verbal directions. “And give me the layout of the house as well, so that we know where exactly to go.” 

An hour passed, and soon a crude drawing of a moderately sized one-story was traced out on the second page. Junhong’s room was adjacent from the kitchen and the living room, while Daehyun and Himchan’s were further down a hall that housed a bathroom and a closet. They would be going to Himchan’s room, which posed a problem given that there would be no way to avoid the elder vampire, but at the very least they had some form of support. There was risk that this was just a large-scale trap, but it didn’t seem logical if the two vampires hadn’t made to attack them yet. 

Another hour and they had a plan. Junhong would try to lure Himchan out of the house by saying that he wanted to go on a hunt, Daehyun would stay behind with Youngjae. They would enter, Daehyun would use the spare key that he still had to get Youngjae out of the cage he supposedly was in, and they would take off as quickly as possible to avoid Himchan’s return. Daehyun would flit with Youngjae back to this house to escape faster than the two humans would be able to run, and they would pack their things. From there… What would they do? They’d have to leave the city at least, Youngjae’s smell was too strong to be covered by the house wards and he couldn’t just be locked up all the time. The VED would argue, but they could always go to another branch of the corporation in another city, even another country. Leaving their home, the city full of painful and joyful memories, would be hard, but it was better than losing Youngjae again if a vampire passed the house and realized who was inside. 

One more hour, and the two vampires were rising from their positions, Daehyun shoving his hands back into his pockets and Junhong watching Jongup carefully, as if hoping that the human would notice him at all. Jongup seemed intent on not looking at him, not releasing his embrace on himself as he too stood and Yongguk followed the vampires to the door. They turned as they exited, and neither looked too excited for the night ahead. 

“We’re coming at three in the morning. Daehyun, make sure to get Youngjae out before the sun rises.” Daehyun nodded firmly. Yongguk sighed. He wondered if he’d ever consider himself to be in this position if he looked at this moment from the past, working with vampires in any way, shape, or form, but here they were. He’d worry about it when Youngjae was back with them. “We’ll… We’ll see you then, I guess,” Junhong sighed before turning. The two disappeared, and Jongup and Yongguk busied their restless minds with hanging the warded christmas lights back over the door frame, placing up pictures by windows and picking fresh mint leaves from the plant in the garden to hang in the little pots by the front door and bedroom windows. It would be okay, it had to be. It would work out because it absolutely had to. And if, on an odd chance, it didn’t… They’d just have to try again. Unable to sleep, Yongguk and Jongup sat at the kitchen table with untouched coffee, watching the sun split over the horizon once again to announce a new day. 

The sense of unease, the reality of what they were about to do, what they were already doing. Yongguk didn’t believe that things would go according to plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be intense, so be ready. Thank you so much for reading <3


	31. Tonight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I wanted to apologize in advance for the shorter chapter and massive cliffhanger. I'm going out of town to see Monsta X and I'm also in the process of moving into an apartment, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to update again within the week. I didn't want it to be a two/three week wait between chapters after already leaving such a massive cliffhanger for yall, so I decided to post this as both a build up and something to read while I'm gone. I'm really, really sorry for the inconvenience. The next chapter is going to be GIANT and full of action and change as promised, so I'm really nervous as to trying to make everything perfect before I post. Because of this, it'll probably be between one and two weeks until my next update. I'm sorry again. Either way, thank you so much for reading this story. While it may seem like it's about to be over, there are still a ton of chapters left in the future and a lot more to look forward to, so I hope that it's exciting! Take care <3 And if you'll be at the Monsta X Dallas concert somehow... come say hi!

Night fell following a blazing sunset, and Junhong parted his eyes, released a shivering sigh. His dreams had been nightmares of the outcome of today, and he wished he could just stay in bed. Was this really a good idea…? He’d been so prepared to get Youngjae to his family again, but now that it jeopardized his family’s safety, his own safety, he was afraid. But it was too late to take things back. In five hours, at three in the morning, the hunters would come. As long as Jaehwan didn’t, things would be fine. If Junhong asked Himchan to go on a hunt, surely the master would agree, given that Junhong refused to go for so long before and after biting Jongup. If he could get Himchan out of the house, Daehyun could assist the hunters in getting Youngjae out… It was a solid plan.

 

But if Jaehwan came…

 

Junhong curled up into his blankets. He didn’t want to get out of bed. What would Jaehwan do if they tried to stop him? Would he care enough about Youngjae to hurt them? Would he give up on Youngjae…? Junhong wondered what Daehyun had said to Himchan to make him so uneasy about Jaehwan’s arrival, but he had a guess. Daehyun would fight. If Jaehwan tried to hurt them, to hurt Youngjae, he would fight.

Last time he fought, Jaehwan snapped his wrist and slammed him against the adjacent wall of the room, as Junhong had heard from an exhausted Himchan the night it happened. What would happen if he kept fighting..? Would he be killed? There was no way that Daehyun was strong enough to take on Jaehwan, and Junhong didn’t even know how to fight, he himself wouldn’t stand a chance. The hunters? No, they were human. Was there even a chance if Jaehwan came tonight…?

Crawling out of bed, Junhong bit his lip and stretched his arms outward, making his way to the dresser and digging through knots and piles of clothes for a clean shirt and a pair of pants that weren’t sweats. He turned to the bed to search for his phone and came into direct line of sight with his laptop. He hadn’t touched it since Jongup found out who he was. It was strange, remembering the days that he used to play games in bed until Himchan forced him to come out to eat, when he used to talk to Daseot into the late night while they both pretended to be normal. It all seemed so foreign now, and he hadn’t realized how much this incident had changed him until he stared down at the forgotten laptop, remembering when something as simple and material was his entire focus. Back when Daehyun would go clubbing every night and Himchan would be dragging him back drunk with blood smears on his lips, back when Himchan would spend his time reading and doing Jaehwan’s paperwork. It was all so simple and it felt so far into the past despite being less than a year ago.

 

He wasn’t sure if he wanted to go back or wanted to go forward, but there was only one direction that he could go. Tonight would end somehow, and morning would come with whatever results the night brought. Whether the outcome was good, whether it was bad, morning would come and they would pick up their scraps and move on.

 

Turning from the laptop, Junhong made his way into the living room. Himchan was in the kitchen, scrubbing at a glass that had been dyed by some sort of flavored blood, some ancient glass from early on in Himchan’s vampire life that he refused to throw away despite the strange, artificial coloring. The elder glanced up when he entered and slowly placed the cup down, smiling fraily. “Good morning,” he said softly, and Junhong mumbled a ‘good morning’ back. He felt sick with nervousness even just looking at Himchan, given how much of a betrayal tonight would be against their master. “Is Daehyun up yet?” he asked, trying to distract himself from it.

 

“Doesn’t seem like it,” Himchan responded, turning his gaze back to the glass, swiping the towel up and down it, the fabric beginning to turn pink with the dye’s dewey stain. Junhong paused, before sighing and asking, “And Youngjae? How’s his fever?” Himchan paused once more, stared at the glass for maybe too long before shaking his head. “He’s fine, Junhong. Daehyun gave him medicine, got him to eat a bit before he went to bed. Don’t be concerned with him.”

“It’s hard not to,” Junhong muttered and Himchan caught it, the elder finally placing the glass down on the counter and the towel in the sink, coming to sit in the armchair adjacent to the couch Junhong had fallen onto. “Junhong… You’re such a kind hearted person.” The younger nodded. He’d heard this talk a million times before, when he refused to go on hunts, when he refused to drink human blood until his stomach was tearing itself apart with hunger and bloodlust took over. “Himchan, I know what you’re about to say-”

“Youngjae isn’t going to be mistreated at the feeder house. Daehyun might’ve put thoughts into your head, but feeders are treated alright as long as they behave. He’ll be fed, he’ll be cleaned up. He’s used to bites already, I doubt it’s that painful for him anymore. Jaehwan isn’t the monster you make him out to be, even if he’s got a temper. As long as Youngjae cooperates, he’ll be just fine, perfectly safe, probably even better off than before.”

“You don’t get it, Himchan. What if I was taken away from you? What if you were taken away from us? His family is out there searching for him-” the guilt trickled back, “-and they’re scared for him. He’s scared too, he wants to see them again and at this rate he never will. If I was taken away to something like a feeder house, wouldn’t it be terrifying for both of us?” Himchan fell quiet, staring down at his socks and nodding slowly. “He’ll get used to it,” the elder finally muttered. “It’s just the cost of being what he is. Life isn’t fair for people who are unique, human or vampire. Some things just have to be accepted.”

Junhong nodded. The conversation would end here, he didn’t want to talk about it anymore. Whether he agreed with Himchan or intensely disagreed, he couldn’t tell. Half of him wished that he’d never associated with Youngjae, never got close so that the decision of saving him had never been made. He was doing something right, something just, but at what cost? Would saving Youngjae make their losses greater than their gains? And if all fell through, would they even get to save Youngjae at all?

 

“Himchan… Can we go on a hunt tonight?” The elder’s head shot up, his eyebrows knitting together. “That’s a strange request, coming from you,” he slowly replied, but Junhong kept his head bowed even as Himchan analyzed him, mumbling, “I just… need a break from all of this. I need to try and get used to being what I am.” Himchan’s eyes held sympathy, and his response had Junhong’s chest knotting, caused fear to begin to drip slowly through his veins.

“If you’d asked any other night, I would’ve said yes. But I have to be here tonight.” There was only reason why Himchan would have to stay in the house.

Jaehwan was coming tonight, and so were the hunters.

“Oh, okay,” Junhong said, trying to keep his tone steady, trying not to reveal that something was terribly wrong. “Maybe tomorrow then.” Himchan smiled. “Tomorrow for sure. We all will need a break.” A break after Youngjae was taken away. It was all making more and more sense, and Junhong was more and more afraid considering what the next few hours would bring. If Himchan wouldn’t leave the house, there would be a fight. If Jaehwan came while the hunters were there… It would be hell. It would be a warzone inside their home, and he couldn’t imagine that it would turn out well for anyone involved.

“I’m gonna go wake Daehyun up. It’s kind of late to be sleeping in,” Junhong said, standing and stretching casually, begging himself to be a good actor for at least tonight, at least right now, so that Himchan wouldn’t notice something was off. The elder nodded, standing as well, sighing, “I’m trying to clean that stupid glass, it looks like the dye is finally coming out.” Before Junhong could make it to the hallway, the elder paused in the threshold of the kitchen. “Junhong?”

He froze. “Yes?” And he begged that Himchan didn’t hear him stutter.

“Tonight… is going to be difficult. Stay in your room or go out, but please don’t get involved. I have to focus on keeping Daehyun from doing something stupid, so I won’t be able to defend you if… if something goes wrong.”

But Himchan didn’t realize how involved he already was. “Okay,” he whispered and the elder would hear him with the strength of his senses. Junhong knocked weakly on Daehyun’s door, feeling the strength in his limbs giving out.

Tonight was going to be hell indeed.

 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Daehyun curled tighter into his blankets when he heard the door open. He’d been in a limbo between sleep and alertness, able to hear what was around him and yet unable to bring himself to get up. The sound of the air conditioning was too loud for some reason, the sound of footsteps and the other two members of his family talking in the kitchen. Only when his door opened did he open his eyes, and he sat up when Junhong closed it behind him, eyes wide with anxiety that was too strong for comfort. “Daehyun, it’s today. Jaehwan is coming today.”

Shit… Shit! He threw the blankets off, rushing to his phone that was charging on the adjacent wall, scooping it off the floor and swiping it open. “You got that hunter’s number right?” he asked breathlessly, and Junhong scrambled for his own phone. “We have to tell them not to come,” Junhong whispered, but Daehyun shook his head. “We can’t fight Jaehwan alone-”

“And what are some humans going to do? I don’t want them getting hurt either!” A mental picture of Jongup appeared in Junhong’s mind and he shoved it away quickly. “Not in front of Youngjae,” he finished, quickly typing out a text to the younger hunter, a warning to not come, that Jaehwan was indeed on his way. “Maybe we can just break Youngjae out now, run from Himchan and get him out before Jaehwan comes in-”

Both of the younger vampires froze when, right on cue, there was a loud knocking at the front door. Junhong locked eyes with Daehyun, both wide, both afraid, before they were scrambling again. Daehyun bolted out of the room, Junhong typed rapidly to Jongup, who hadn’t responded.

 

‘Please don’t come, you will die. I don’t know what we’ll do but we’ll figure it out, so please, please don’t come.’

 

“Daehyun!” Himchan called from the living room in a harsh warning, and Junhong rushed out to find Himchan’s door open, hurried in to see Daehyun crouched in front of the cage, reaching in and taking Youngjae’s hand, the human looking confused and afraid. “Youngjae, remember my promise?” he gasped out, the magica nodding quickly, biting his lip tightly as if he was realizing what was happening, what was happening right at this moment. “I’ll do everything I can.” His voice was a whisper, a breath so that the two elder vampires in the living room wouldn’t hear him. “I have to pretend for a little while, but I won’t let Jaehwan take you.”

“C… can you even say that?” Youngjae whispered back, his voice trembling. Daehyun nodded quickly. “I promise.” Junhong watched from the doorway until a hand laid on his shoulder from behind, and he nearly leaped into the ceiling as Jaehwan cooed, “Junhong, good to see you!” He turned slowly, not masking his frown. “Jaehwan,” he breathed. “Is it today? Are you taking… taking ‘it’ today?” Jaehwan nodded. “Don’t worry, Junhong. I know your heart is bigger than your head, but it’ll be okay.” A gentle push had him entering further into the room, and Himchan followed after Jaehwan, eyes tight on Junhong. “Junhong, why don’t you go to your room? Daehyun, do the same.”

Daehyun’s eyes shot up and they were sharp with hatred. “Jaehwan, you’re a fucking monster for this,” he whispered. Jaehwan chuckled. “Daehyun, same as always. Don’t worry. Your human will be well cared for. It’ll be my best seller, after all.” Youngjae pressed his back against the bars as far from Jaehwan as he could, and Jaehwan shoved Daehyun out of the way to kneel in front of the cage, smiling gently. “You look so frail,” he cooed, as if talking to a young child. “I’ll have to get you a meal or two. I’m sorry that Himchan hasn’t been taking good care of you.”

“Fuck off,” Youngjae breathed, but his voice revealed that he was far more afraid than any form of anger he was trying to portray. Jaehwan chuckled. “It’ll need some training. Can’t have it mouthing off at clients.” Jaehwan then reached into the bars, and Daehyun jolted into motion, Himchan grabbing his wrist and holding him back firmly before he could make to rip Jaehwan away from the human. Youngjae jerked away as Jaehwan reached for his face, but he couldn’t go far and the vampire took hold of his jaw, turned his head towards him even as Youngjae kept trying to pull away. The human shut his eyes tightly, seeming to know what was about to happen, and Jaehwan growled low under his breath. “This will be easy, or this will be difficult. You know nothing will come from struggling. I’ll either carry you out of here glamoured or carry you out of here in pain.”

Daehyun was huffing, breath loud and fast, and the fact that he was breathing so much was only spiking Junhong’s already vivid anxiety as he watched the scene from near the doorway, frozen in place. ‘Don’t do it,’ he thought, but everyone knew the consequences if Youngjae didn’t accept Jaehwan’s warning. With a shiver, with a quivering breath, even as Daehyun called for him not to, Youngjae opened his eyes.

 

Instantly, he collapsed. Jaehwan’s glamour was much more powerful than the likes of Daehyun’s, much more controlled. Jaehwan smiled and Daehyun’s eyes were wide as Himchan handed down the key and the door to the cage slipped open, the vampire reaching in to pull Youngjae out. Daehyun was jerking in Himchan’s hold and the elder finally wrapped his arms around the younger’s chest to keep him still, Junhong’s heart would be racing if he were human and he could almost feel the memory of its beat in this moment. If Daehyun couldn’t do anything then he would have to… he would have to…

 

A slam echoed from the living room, from particularly the front door, and Junhong’s chest dropped as the room froze into a still image for a single moment. Himchan’s eyes slowly widened and he glanced to Daehyun, to Junhong, the pieces coming together as horror began to leak into his expression, betrayal at what they had done,  fear of the consequences of such actions. Jaehwan slowly rose to stand, letting go of Youngjae to do so. He opened his mouth to speak when a figure burst from the doorway, rushing past Junhong, and a gunshot rang in his ears. From there, the house fell into war.


	32. Warzone

Yongguk’s hand numbed with the aftereffect of the gun’s force, but he knew he’d missed the moment he’d fired. 

The moment Jongup had gotten a text saying not to come, they’d rushed to pack their gear and thrown themselves into the car. If they were told not to arrive, that meant that this Jaehwan truly was coming that night. The goal was to arrive before he did. 

The house was as average as any other, and he begged that they had the correct one when he threw open the unlocked door with an unintended bang and rushed in, Jongup following. They were being reckless but there was no time to waste. Following the map he’d sketched from the drawing into his mind, he led way to Himchan’s room, heard motion, whipped the corner. Seeing the smooth skin of vampires and following his beckoning instincts, he held up his gun and fired at the only unfamiliar figure in the room. The bullet instead imbedded itself into the far wall, forced too far to the left, and everything came to a standstill for a half second that felt like nearly a minute. 

There were four vampires in the room. Daehyun was being held back in an arm lock by the elder vampire from before, Junhong was nearly ran over when they rushed into the room through the doorway. There was one standing near what looked to be a dog cage, a vampire that radiated a confidence unlike Yongguk had ever seen, and at his feet... 

Youngjae. He was thinner, he was paler. Around his neck was a strange form of choker that Yongguk assumed was preventing him from using his magic, unless something else played into it, but it didn’t matter. It was Youngjae, and relief was the first thing to flood through his chest that the younger was here within arm’s reach.

He hadn’t seen Youngjae in a full month, but it felt like so much longer considering just how close the trio had been. Seeing him like this felt somewhat wrong, like something essential to Youngjae’s being had been torn out. He didn’t have the same energy as he did before, even in unconsciousness. His skin was clammy and sheen with sweat, there were dark circles under his eyelashes and seeing anything akin to a collar on his neck only reminded Yongguk of how they let him get this bad, how their failure to get to him over the course of the month resulted in this.

But they were here now. He refused to let tonight be a failure as well.

His thoughts came to a quick cease as that was all the time he had before Jongup had reached up with his own gun and fired in the direction of the vampire Jaehwan, before the vampire seemed to disappear into thin air and reappear at Yongguk’s back. Startled, Yongguk whipped around, but he didn’t have time as a shove had him stumbling harshly forward, as the vampire’s eyes were narrowed and he was clearly furious. “Ah, so you’re the hunters then?” Jaehwan asked with a scoff, but Yongguk didn’t have the time to banter with this thing. They had to get Youngjae out, they had to stay alive. He holstered his gun in less than a second and drew out one of his knives, swiping towards the vampire’s chest, the broadest part of its body. His knife cut cleanly through the air as the creature had already disappeared again, and Jongup’s gun fired towards a shadow right as it swept out of the way. 

“Your timing is horrible, I forgot how pathetic humans are,” Jaehwan laughed with irritation behind the lighthearted tone, easily avoiding Yongguk’s swipes, disappearing every time he slashed and reappearing nearby if only to taunt him. In the moment of Himchan’s shock, Daehyun jerked out of the elder’s grasp and Yongguk noted from the corner of his eye as he too disappeared, rushing at Jaehwan and grabbing the unsuspecting vampire by the hair, yanking him back and wrapping the other arm around his chest in what looked like preparation to snap his neck. Jaehwan kicked back instantly and Daehyun lost grip as a foot lodged harshly into his calf, sending him into a stumble. Yongguk fired in that instant and he was sure that the bullet had hit this time until Jaehwan was right in front of him, grabbing him by the neck and throwing him across the room. 

The airtime was vivid with both a daunting realization of how much danger they were all currently in in this clusterfuck and a sharp clearness that could only come by a rush of adrenaline.

Himchan flitted forward and Jongup swiped his daggers just in time to cut the vampire’s cheek when he reappeared, but the knife didn’t go far before the hunter’s arm was grabbed and his wrist was twisted in a jerk, Jongup gasping harshly as pain exploded through his hand and upward. In the moment that Himchan’s both hands were on his arm though, he swiped again with the other dagger and the vampire disappeared backwards to avoid the slash. Jongup shivering as a strict tingling throbbed through his arm, through his body, and he was sure his wrist was at least jerked out of socket, possibly broken, but he couldn’t feel the pain properly through the race of his heartbeat in his ears, pounding off of his head. As Himchan reappeared with a scowl of deep rooted hatred, Jongup prepared himself for the worst. A gunshot went off, the sound so loud and yet so muffled, and Himchan dodged a bullet that Jongup hadn’t seen coming. Yongguk rushed to Jongup’s side, eyes wide in a frenzy of fear and worry, and Jongup couldn’t drop his only dagger (the other had fallen with the limpness of his wrist) to sign that he was alright. 

Junhong watched in abstract, numbing fear. Daehyun and Jaehwan were fighting so quickly that he could barely make out what was happening, but it was clear that Daehyun was being backed into the corner of the room. Himchan was dodging as now both Yongguk and Jongup were on either side of him, the promise to keep Himchan safe surely forgotten by the hunters as adrenaline and danger were set into stone. Jongup’s hand was limp at his side and he wouldn’t survive if Himchan found an opening to attack again, he couldn’t defend himself properly with just one arm, but what could Junhong do?! He couldn’t fight, he couldn’t hurt Himchan, he couldn’t, he couldn’t hurt the hunters, he wasn’t strong enough to fight Jaehwan, it felt like everything was crumbling and all he could do was watch as his world fell apart. 

Until Daehyun screamed over Jaehwan’s shoulder, “Junhong! Get Youngjae!” And suddenly everything swiped back into focus. He rushed past Himchan, hitting the elder with his shoulder and making him stumble on complete accident, Yongguk jabbing his knife forward and carving a deep gash into Himchan’s arm as he tried to regain his footing. Junhong tried not to accept the guilt for it, accepted it harshly anyway, tried to keep himself focused as Jaehwan connected a solid punch into Daehyun’s gut and the younger gagged, nearly collapsing but grabbing Jaehwan’s arm and holding himself upright. “Junhong!” he gasped. 

“I know!!” the younger nearly cried back, flitting with every amount of speed he could muster and scooping up Youngjae’s limp form, turning and rushing as fast as he could to the door. Jaehwan’s head whipped around, his eyes narrowed, and he snarled but Daehyun held tight to his arms with every ounce of strength that he had to keep him from chasing after Junhong and Himchan was too distracted to give chase. Rushing through the vacant, silent living room, out of the house into the cool night, Junhong found himself sobbing as he flitted through forest and road until the city became clear. 

He didn’t know where to take Youngjae, he didn’t know who would be alive when he came back to the house, he didn’t know who was being hurt right now and he was terrified as the night had fallen into a hell beyond what they’d predicted. Himchan, Daehyun, Jongup, even Yongguk, he didn’t know if he could bear it if any of them died in this, and the realization that such a thing was even possible, was in fact likely, had him sobbing harder. Youngjae’s eyes were dull under glamour as if he too were dead, but his slow breath, his heartbeat, was what drew Junhong to run faster, skidding around buildings and leaping over fences as if they were hurdles. Where was he going? Where should he go? Where did Daehyun want him to go? Where would Youngjae be safe? Could Youngjae be safe? What if Jaehwan won, what if Jaehwan took down Daehyun and Jongup and Yongguk and came after them, after him, and fuck, he was so overwhelmed that he could barely think but he HAD to think, he had to!

The VED. That was the only place where Youngjae could be found and protected. and Junhong rushed towards the building he’d been directed to avoid. He turned a corner and headed in the direction of the three-story, massive form in the distance beyond the street’s curve, Youngjae held tight to his chest. He didn’t know how wards worked. Would it burn like in the movies? Would his skin begin to peel off? Would it feel like a cramp? He tried not to think about it as street turned to sidewalk, to grass, and he was close enough for the wards to make his presence known. 

His skin began to sting with a vengeance even before he’d made it past the fence, and he jumped over it knowing that it was going to be painful to approach this building and yet not predicting just how painful as a cry burst from his lips, as it felt like needles slamming repeatedly in and out of his skin. Five more steps in and Youngjae tumbled from his hands, he knelt to pick him up when a siren burst through the air. He glanced up to note what he hadn’t before, that the front doors were in sight, saw flashes of light from the windows. 

And with the pain screaming through his skin, threatening to keep him kneeling under its claws, he tore himself away from Youngjae’s still form and he ran. 

He ran away, begging that at the very least Youngjae would be safe. He ran back to the house, begging that he would find his family and the hunters alive and Jaehwan either dead or incapacitated when he got back. He ran with tears streaming down his cheeks, with his nonexistent heartbeat racing, he ran. 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

A knife shoved past his head, and he grabbed the older hunters arm and yanked the man’s entire body forward, sent him sprawling behind him and went for the injured one. The silver-haired hunter stumbled back as Himchan hurried forward and another of many gunshots went off. Himchan felt it graze his shoulder, but he’d felt worse pain than a small slip of silver like that. The hunter he’d just pushed behind him came up and stabbed downward towards his back, and Himchan stepped aside to avoid it, turning and kicking upward at the human’s stomach and watching it finally collapse as he felt the crunch of a rib or two under his foot. The younger human rushed back and turned to shoot… only to hear a quiet click, and no actual shot. Dropping the now useless gun and clambering for his knife, Himchan took the initiative of the hunter’s struggle and grabbed the human by the side of the face, slamming its head into the wall and letting it drop to the floor. 

He sighed quickly, tiredly. These hunters were more of an issue than he’d thought, and he felt a thick, pulsating anger when he scanned the room and noticed that both Youngjae and Junhong were gone now. There were more pressing matters though, and he turned to the only two left standing in the room. 

His chest tightened like a knot when he realized what had been happening while he was distracted fighting off the humans, and Himchan froze in his place. 

Daehyun was limp, the only thing keeping him upstanding being the hand squeezing around his neck. His eyes were faint whispers of the light they normally had, flicking up to Himchan desperately, lips parted as if he didn’t realize that he didn’t need to breathe to survive. Jaehwan clenched his fingers tighter and he gagged. Daehyun was a doll in Jaehwan’s hand, still and loose. He wasn’t thrashing, he wasn’t making any attempt to struggle, and Himchan put such a question as to why aside to run and slam his shoulder into his master’s side, Jaehwan releasing Daehyun to stumble towards the bed. 

Himchan caught Daehyun as he collapsed and fell to his knees under the full weight of his child. He let his eyes flicker down to check for injuries, for an answer as to why Daehyun was this weak. Had he punctured a lung…? Had Jaehwan broken something…? 

It was only barely visible under Daehyun’s shirt. The browning stain on the grey fabric was spreading slowly, and Himchan nearly tore the neckline in a scramble to reveal the injury, because it couldn’t be, it really couldn’t be…

A bite. A rounded bite mark was carved into his shoulder, four crevices deeper than the others where Jaehwan’s razor fangs had dug in. It was taboo to bite another vampire, but Himchan didn’t know the effect, didn’t know what it would do if it was done, just that it absolutely, by law and by morality, shouldn’t be. He whipped around to Jaehwan who had settled back on the bed, smiling proudly at the image of Himchan holding Daehyun protectively to his chest. “What the hell did you do?” Himchan snarled, his ears ringing, his face burning with raw fury. Jaehwan… How could he do something like this?! A politician breaking one of the highest laws in the book… Had he truly gone insane? 

“I bit him. I wouldn’t have, but it was kind of an in the moment sort of thing. See?” Jaehwan twisted his torso to reveal four deep scratches that had torn through his shirt. They were already healing under the bloodstained fabric, and they would surely be gone in a few more minutes. “It hurt like a bitch, and I guess I just reacted.” 

Just reacted…

“What does this do, what did you do to him?” Himchan nearly gasped out, the anger parching his throat, filling his lungs with heat. He was five seconds from springing on Jaehwan if the answer was any worse than he expected. A regular bite wouldn’t have someone in such a delirious state unless too much blood was sucked out. Daehyun was literally a ragdoll in his arms, ruby eyes open and searching but not focusing on one thing, lips parted and heavy breaths whispering from between them. 

And Jaehwan was smiling. “Himchan, it’s okay-”

“I asked you a fucking question!” Jaehwan flinched, eyes wide and startled at his child’s reaction. Himchan swallowed, trying to lower his voice and not finding the self-control to do so. “You told me… that strange things happen when vampires bite other vampires. That’s why you wanted to make it legal, but the council denied it.” Himchan was shaking, was he more afraid or angry, he couldn’t tell. “They deemed that it was too dangerous of a thing to let happen and refused to let it happen. So tell me what the fuck is going to happen to Daehyun because of this bite.” he tore his eyes from Jaehwan back down to his eldest child. Daehyun whimpered softly and Himchan noted that he was warm, warmer than usual. Vampires didn’t get feverish, and yet…

“I told you about illicits,” Jaehwan growled, smiling having fallen into a scowl. He had obviously grown tired by now of Himchan’s insolence. “Vampires that are contracted under other vampires. It’s a stronger bond than a familial one like you have.” 

Illicits. Yes, Himchan had been told, and the anger froze over into fear as he let his eyes slip back down to Daehyun again. Illicits were illegal due to how immoral their existence was. In a world where humans are the inferior species, how was it right to take blood from one’s own? Vampire blood had its own form of magic, but no one in their right mind would dare to drink such a toxically addicting substance. But Himchan had never heard of… of this of all things. 

“Jaehwan,” he whispered, his throat raw. He was supposed to keep them safe, Daehyun, Junhong. But now Junhong had run away to protect a human and Daehyun… Daehyun… 

“I’m tired of him, Himchan,” Jaehwan sighed. “I wish you hadn’t turned him at all. I should’ve killed him with his mother, but I allowed him to escape in an attempt to show mercy. Look at where that’s taken us.” 

Was he prepared to lose Daehyun if everything went wrong? That had been his question the other day, and the answer had been undoubtedly no. The question was racing through his head again now as the harsh reality hit like a bullet. If he’d just paid more attention to his children than to the hunters, if he’d made sure that they weren’t home when Jaehwan came, if he’d never agreed to take this magica, if if if’s over and over, no no no’s repeating like a battlecry. 

“Is he going to die?” Himchan asked flatly, feeling his throat suck itself in as the question spilled from his lips. Jaehwan huffed. “No. I care about you enough that I wouldn’t kill him, Himchan.”

“Will he ever be the same?” Was his second question. And that one, Jaehwan didn’t answer immediately, his lips pursing together, his fingers dipping into the fabric of the bed. Was he prepared to lose Daehyun in this mess? Was he prepared to lose Junhong?

No. He refused. 

Himchan slowly lowered Daehyun to the soft carpet, letting him curl into himself as if he were aching and turning slowly towards his master, the man he’d served for two hundred years, the man he’d fallen for to grant every whim, every request, every demand. And right before he made to attack, someone did it for him. 

Bang.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I hope this chapter was okay. I intended to make it much longer rather than leaving it on such a harsh cliffhanger (sorry <3) but I really wanted to post before I leave for the concert tomorrow. I feel nervous about this chapter, since there's a LOT going on in it, but hopefully I clarified who's fighting who and who's doing what well enough. 
> 
> I wanted to explain illicits next. I've mentioned them before in a previous chapter (that I can't find now, because wow I didn't realize how long this fic is so far until I tried to reread the whole thing), but illicits are vampires that have been bitten by other vampires. I won't explain the effects yet, since that'll be covered in the next chapter, but all I can say for now is that it's very concerning, very against the law, and very unaccepted in the vampire community. 
> 
> So..... aah... I hope it was okay <3 I'll write more after my trip, it shouldn't be such a long wait this time but we'll see how it goes. Thank you for being patient with me. I've rewritten this chapter about four times now so I'm really hopeful that it turned out well, though I feel positive about it~ Take care!


	33. Vivid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warning: Kind of Gore

Junhong didn’t know what he was doing. The sting of the wards from before still rang beneath his skin, and he wondered if maybe he was being irrational. Still, he couldn’t bring himself to consider it too deeply. Not while in mid sprint at least, and not with Jongup in his arms. He hadn’t checked to see what Jaehwan and Himchan had been arguing about, and he somewhat regretted not listening in, but the moment he made it back and saw Jongup with his back to the wall, unmoving and smelling strongly of blood, a decision became apparent. He’d made his choice in a second, and while he still couldn’t answer whether this was the right thing to do or not, he was taking Jongup back to the VED as well. 

It was crazy, completely insane. He was going to get caught or shot at or some other sort of horrible pain would surely occur from this, but despite the idea being terrifying, it didn’t scare him quite as much as the concept of Jongup dying tonight. He never got to properly apologize for biting him, for lying to him, he never got to truly, properly meet him outside of the internet, outside of his disguise. He wanted to explain everything, every detail of why he did what he did and felt what he felt. And to do that, he needed to be sure that Jongup survived the night. 

The human’s head was bleeding and a massive bruise was beginning to blossom like a galaxy on the skin beneath his shoulder and collarbone. His eyes were squeezed shut in a grimace, which meant that he was at least subtly conscious. Junhong didn’t try to speak to him, there wasn’t time to spare for that. It had been night for too long and the sky was lightening. Even flitting, it was a fifteen minute rush to the VED’s building. 

Jongup was so… honestly small in his arms, all lean muscle and a face that reminded Junhong of one of those cats you’d find in an alley who was a little less dinged up than the others. His silver hair was a mess, and Junhong had the urge to smooth it out, an urge that was both unreasonable and unwelcome given the situation at hand. He didn’t have time to be admiring smooth faces and stroking soft hair, but maybe considering such things was a means of distraction to not remember what he’d be running back to after he got Jongup to safety. 

Himchan and Jaehwan were arguing. It wasn’t something that Junhong had ever seen in his life. Himchan would always just groan, sigh, and say ‘fine’ like a rich father to a spoiled child, and Jaehwan would get his way. The intensity of their voices was escalating by the second, and Junhong realized with a drop of his stomach that Jaehwan hadn’t been fighting Daehyun when he’d entered the room, that he didn’t see Daehyun standing or arguing with them at all. 

The fear was injected into dead veins; If he were alive he’d feel it flowing through him, but instead it sat thick and vivid in his stomach, pulsating within his tensed limbs. Himchan would argue if Daehyun had gotten hurt. Daehyun wouldn’t be arguing (he wasn’t) if he had been hurt badly enough. 

Daehyun was hurt, it was determined, and Junhong had to get back quickly, no matter how much his body told him to run, to keep running, to find another excuse to not be home. He wasn’t sure what he could do, but the fear of what might be happening to his family while he avoided the fight like a coward was too powerful to put aside. Daehyun was surely hurt, and Jaehwan clearly wasn’t. Himchan was arguing with Jaehwan. Would Himchan be hurt next? And what of the second hunter, Yongguk, who Junhong had apologetically left behind? He hadn’t even checked if Yongguk was still breathing, though his injuries didn’t look awful enough to have at least quickly killed him. What if he woke up? What if he didn’t? 

There was too much. 

A weak whimper, and Junhong tore his eyes from Jongup to pay attention to the passing trees in front of him, the ones he’d been whipping past and dodging around with only his peripheral vision. Jongup didn’t need to know that he’d been staring at him for the past minute or two, and Junhong only glanced back to determine whether the other had opened his eyes yet or not. He hadn’t; In fact, he’d only squeezed them tighter together, biting into his lip, and Jongup could feel his body tense a little in his grip. “I’m gonna get you to safety, okay?” Junhong muttered after a moment of contemplation. Jongup’s eyes then fluttered, his dark pupils dilated, revealing lighter brown specks in his irises that Junhong hadn’t noticed before. Focus. Soft lips parted, closed, then pursed, and suddenly Junhong was sent sprawling backwards as Jongup shoved himself out of his arms. They both fell in a heap on the ground, cushioned only by the soft dirt and the leaves that crunched under their backs, and Junhong found himself stunned. Perhaps Youngjae’s glamoured state had fooled him that Jongup would be just as willing to be held, but what caused him to react so harshly like that? 

Jongup’s hand trembled as his fingers swiped to his wrist, the pad of his forefinger pressed to the red tattoo as if feeling for a pulse before he was whipping around and running back the way they had came. Junhong was up in an instant, springing forward and easily catching up, grabbing the human and pulling him back flat against his chest, hissing between his teeth when Jongup’s nails dug into his arm, when the male began thrashing and kicking to break free. “Jongup-”

Junhong couldn’t even finish his sentence. Jongup broke free and stumbled to the ground, nearly crawling back up to his feet despite how he swayed on them upon standing, working into a sprint back towards the house. Junhong had to flit to catch up but did so relatively easily regardless, grabbing Jongup so quickly and tightly that they both stumbled backwards, though Junhong caught his footing and stabilized Jongup’s in tandem. He felt hulking over the shorter male, felt almost ashamed to be caging someone who was so desperate to run, but Jongup wasn’t in a state to fight, not if he wasn’t in a state to even stay standing without stumbling or collapsing. 

“Jongup, Yongguk will be fine,” Junhong hissed out, trying to get the hunter to settle so that he could absorb some common sense. Jongup would die in that house if he went back. If he couldn’t take on Himchan, he absolutely wouldn’t be able to take on Jaehwan. He’d be snapped like a toothpick, and Junhong’s assurance that Yongguk would be okay didn’t come without some severe uncertainty. 

But Jongup was a mess of fury and fear, Junhong feeling the tremors in his body as he held him to his chest, the human’s lips parted and only a off-tuned squeak wheezing past them. Junhong felt pity flood his chest. A baby bird, was that what Jongup reminded him of? Begging to fly back to its nest, to its family, it was almost animalistic how desperate he was. If Jongup could speak, could yell, could argue, would this situation be any different? 

“Jongup, I’m not letting you go back,” Junhong said slowly, careful that his grip never grew too uncomfortably tight around the human despite how it was hard to keep him still this way. He wondered how afraid Jongup must be for Yongguk’s safety that he had to be spoken to as if calming a child, and the sympathy splashing within only rose closer to the fill line. “The sooner I get you to safety, the sooner I can go make sure Yongguk is okay. But you won’t survive if Jaehwan takes another hit at you. It… It looks like he even hurt Daehyun. Please calm down so that I can go back. I can’t get Yongguk out of there and I can’t check on my own family if you’re not safe.”

There were questions pouring through Jongup’s eyes, searching and whipping through emotions in a swarm, but he didn’t have the words to speak them, didn’t have the stability to sign out his thoughts in this moment, to write them down. Slowly his struggle faded, maybe a little too much as he nearly fell to his knees, Junhong dropping down to catch him. He wondered what this may seem like in any other situation, kneeling behind Jongup like this, hands around his waist, but there was no energy to spare to be embarrassed and, Junhong realized with a start, there was no time. The sky was fading from navy to ash, the clouds were becoming visible as light slowly trickled from the incoming sun. He had to get somewhere inside fast. 

“Let me pick you up,” he almost demanded, his own suddenly desperation overwhelming him. This was a shitty situation in all aspects, but there wasn’t time to consider what to do next. They had to find shelter, fast. Jongup didn’t protest when Junhong knelt down, and tattooed arms squeezed uncomfortably tight around the vampire’s neck as he stood again and began to flit towards the city. Shelter, shelter, where was an open building…? He’d never thought to look for somewhere unwarded, not when he was always under Himchan’s jurisdiction and protection on these streets. The treeline parted and Junhong jumped a backyard fence, the threshold between the forest and the outskirts of the city. One peek into the window revealed a string of mint leaves hanging downward. 

“Damn it,” Junhong hissed, not wasting any time in jumping the next fence over, glancing in. With no mint or symbols in sight, he reached for the surely locked door, yanking his hand back with a yelp as a jolt seized through his palm. Warded, okay, next house… The sky was growing murky with threats of rain; Perhaps the clouds would be thick enough to block out the majority of the sun’s rays? He was beginning to feel light headed already, it was growing far, far too late for comfort. The next house over he didn’t even look for a ward, quickly grabbing the handle and letting the shock tell of its protection. There was a dog in the backyard of the following residence and Junhong jumped straight over the yard, not wanting to have to dodge or fight the thing if it tried to attack them. He could feel Jongup’s heartbeat racing, and despite how they were panicked for two seperate reasons, he could almost relate to the drumming as if it were his own. 

The string of houses broke off into a small, rundown park, and Jongup’s racing pulse was a thudding countdown to the next few minutes where the sun would break free of the hills. He should’ve anticipated this, he should’ve considered how late it was before trying to save Jongup, but he hadn’t and now he’d thrown them both into even more chaos. Was he going to burn here? The realization that Himchan wouldn’t be coming to save him, that Daehyun could be dead, that Jaehwan could be coming for them next, were all bullets that slammed repeatedly into his stomach like bees, like punches, Junhong couldn’t take it all. And of course Jongup chose that moment to slip from his back, to surely take off back towards Yongguk again. Junhong was going to burn out here due to his good intentions. Himchan hadn’t even told him fully what would happen to a vampire who stayed in the sunlight for too long, just that they would die rather quickly if exposed to the full effect of the rays. 

He nearly jumped when a hand wrapped around his wrist, and he didn’t have time to question where Jongup was dragging him until they were approaching a shed with a rickety appearance, the lock half dug into the dirt by the door and the chain only meagerly wounded around the handle. Jongup drew the chain out of its coil and tossed it on the ground, throwing open the wooden door and hurrying into the shadows of the tiny building. 

Junhong was lucky that he could see in the dark, else he would’ve tripped on something for sure once the door swung shut behind them. He could hear Jongup’s breath, his heart beating, could see his silhouette taking baby steps through the mess of baseball bats, swim toys, shovels, and splintered wood panels beneath his feet. Jongup had saved him. His racing mind focused solely on that one factor, and the relief that he would at least not rot in the sunlight was like a gulp of cold water. “Thanks,” Junhong said rather blankly. Conversation was barely something he could manage, what with everything that was spiralling in his mind, forming a tornado of questions, concerns, and fearful conclusions. Jongup nodded, glancing around blindly before lowering himself down in a corner of the room, bringing his knees to his chest and staring blankly down at them. 

“Um… Is your phone charged?” Junhong asked. He really wanted to hear Jongup’s take on all of this, or at least get a response when he gave his own. Jongup nodded, reaching for the device and clicking the home button, flinching when the white light burst over his face. It was probably around six-thirty in the morning, which meant that the fight had lasted, or was continuing to last, actual hours. Jaehwan was the type to get lazy, maybe he’d just… grow tired and decide to go home until another day? Junhong bitterly laughed at the thought. It was too good to be true, but then again, Jaehwan was horribly unpredictable. Maybe things had settled already, Jaehwan deciding to leave, everyone else being safe and stable enough. Junhong could take Jongup to the VED once the sun set; Jongup could even walk there himself if his head felt fine, though Junhong wasn’t fond of the idea of being trapped in this shed all day where a human could throw open the doors and catch him sleeping. 

But that was all too good, too calm. And calm was the opposite of what things would be, given how the night had gone. 

A thump echoed by his foot, and Junhong glanced towards the light shining there, noted that Jongup had thrown his phone the few feet across the shed towards him. The notes were open, and Junhong gingerly picked up the tossed device, reading over what was written. 

‘I’m going back. No one ever looks in this shed, so you should be fine.’ Junhong’s head shot up. “Don’t,” he sputtered out. “Your wrist looks bad, what if it’s broken? And your head, if you have a concussion…” Jongup’s fist slammed against the floorboards beside him, and Junhong cowered a little when the human stood and marched over to where he was, yanking the phone from his hands and typing furiously before throwing the device back into his lap. It was almost scary to see Jongup this angry, even though Junhong knew he could probably overpower him if it was necessary. 

‘Yongguk is in danger. I can’t lose him too. You don’t have the right to try to stop me when you’re the reason he’s in this position.’ Junhong’s eyes were plates, his jaw dropped in disbelief. “You blame me for this?” he asked thickly before frustration replaced the shock, before he was rising to his feet as well. “I didn’t set this up! I just wanted Youngjae to be free! Look, I’m not happy with any of this either, but-” 

Jongup turned, not even bothering to continue listening, and Junhong noticed with a clench of his teeth that Jongup’s fingers had been on the tattoo the entire time, not listening at all to his argument. The human marched to the doors but didn’t make it far, his foot suddenly catching right over one of the discarded baseball bats, sending him sprawling forward. Junhong lunged forward to catch him but didn’t make it in time. Jongup’s head thunking against the wooden floor echoed, and he curled into himself immediately, fingers clenching into his hair, shoulders tense with pain. “Stay here,” Junhong pleaded, taking a slow step back. “I didn’t save you for you to go get yourself killed.” 

Jongup shot him a glare, but made no move to stand again. Whether he couldn’t or he was choosing not to, though, Junhong couldn’t tell. The vampire sighed, letting himself slip down the splintery wall again, feeling the rough boards catch on his shirt and hardly caring if the fabric ripped from it. “I’m scared too,” he sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly. “My family’s in there too. But neither of us are in a place to be of any help, so we just have to have faith in them.” Jongup’s gaze fell to the messy floor, and he made no move to rise. Junhong had some concerns that the amount of blood crusted in his hair implied an injury that needed to be treated immediately, but it wasn’t like either of them could just waltz to a hospital right now. Helpless, it felt utterly helpless. Maybe they had more in common in this way than he originally thought. 

Junhong tossed the phone back, but Jongup didn’t pick it up, slowing shaking his head and hiding his face in his arms again. It was morning; Junhong wouldn’t be able to leave until the sun set again in approximately twelve hours, and Jongup seemed to have finally given in, his eyes falling shut and his quiet breaths coming out in pants. Junhong’s tired, pink eyes scanned the rundown shed, trying to discover some form of distraction, only finding more time and quiet to consider all of the weights strung over his chest. Himchan, Daehyun, Youngjae, Yongguk. At least he and Jongup would survive in this old shed, but when night fell again, would everyone be okay? Would he exit this shed to find his family searching for him, to find Yongguk frantically scanning the city for Jongup? Or would he exit this shed to find an emptiness in his chest and blood staining their home? 

Neither of them slept. Neither of them could, nor did either of them want to. In silence, Junhong watched Jongup stare at his tattoos. He watched the human clench his hand over his injured wrist, squeezing his eyes shut and holding the two tiny tattoos as if he were praying.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bang. The shot echoed off the walls, off the rims of Himchan’s ears, and all fell still… all except Jaehwan. The master’s eyes slowly grew wide, peering into Himchan’s soul before his lips quivered and blood sputtered out from between them. Himchan’s eyes dropped to the blood spreading through Jaehwan’s shirt like the blossoming of a flower. Behind him, Bang Yongguk’s glare was as still as the gun in his hand. 

Jaehwan opened his mouth to speak and choked on blood, the thick, vivid red bubbling from his lips like a stain, and his wide eyes slowly narrowed as they locked onto Himchan’s. “Human,” he gargled, his nails digging into the sheets, tearing them as they dragged. This was Jaehwan. The wound would heal quickly if they didn’t finish him off now, and Himchan wasted no time. 

He rushed forward, breaking the stillness in favor of springing into his own attack, grabbing the back of his master’s head by the hair and jerking him forward, swinging his other fist towards Jaehwan’s face. A quick kick to the stomach sent him stumbling back, tripping over Daehyun’s legs and collapsing against the wall; He hadn’t expected Jaehwan to still have so much strength after such a disgusting injury…! Yongguk dropped the gun, and Himchan determined he was out of bullets the moment he favored his knife instead, jumping onto the bed to try and stab into the back of Jaehwan’s neck, only to have his wrist grabbed and his entire body thrown towards an already off-balance Himchan. The human slamming into him sent him toppling down, and Daehyun’s lack of response upon being trampled on twice now was worrisome but Himchan didn’t have time to consider it further. Jaehwan was standing, curling into himself and bringing his hand down to the gaping hole in his shirt, in his stomach, before beginning to dig right into the wound with his fingers. 

Himchan shoved Yongguk off of him and lunged forward. If Jaehwan got that bullet out, he’d heal back entirely. They needed the wound to close over the silver, locking it in, or he’d be at full strength again in minutes. Himchan grabbed Jaehwan by the neck, Jaehwan jerked his fingers away from the bullet wound to bring his hand up and punch across Himchan’s face hard, the younger vampire feeling his ears ring from the force as he was jerked away. Yongguk was on his feet again, but he could only take a step forward before Jaehwan had flitted towards him, the human barely slashing into the vampire’s fist in time to deflect the punch that would surely have crushed his skull. Jaehwan screamed, more frustrated than pained, as the knife dug between his knuckles, before ripping his hand off the blade and flitting backwards again. Himchan gave him no time to stabilize; They would flank him like this until he was worn down, and Himchan would make the final blow.

Two minutes, three minutes, how much time had passed? Both Junhong and the other hunter were gone, and Himchan couldn’t help but worry amidst the fighting about where the hell they’d gone, though he could hardly process any conclusions before Jaehwan was swinging a kick to his back, a fist to his face. The soreness bounced through his body like the strike of a bell, but Jaehwan was growing tired, was slowing down. Only a matter of time… 

Or so he thought. 

He’d hoped that the hunter would be reliable in a fight, and he absolutely had been in comparison to any other human who might try to face Jaehwan, but it wasn’t enough. Yongguk’s head was grabbed in the moment that he blinked, and Jaehwan lifted him into the air by the neck, slamming him back to the floor like a ragdoll. And just like that, he wasn’t moving. Whether he was dead, whether he was conscious, Himchan didn’t have time to note before Jaehwan’s full attention was directed at him. “My stupid child,” Jaehwan hissed, flecks of dried blood sputtering from his lip onto Himchan’s face as he came too close for comfort, Himchan shoving him off just in time to avoid a grab for his throat. “I should have never given you so much freedom.” 

“You should have never gotten me involved in all of this,” Himchan snarled. His body was tired, throbbing, desperate for a break. He’d never been in a situation to fight for this long, to fight this hard, and even with a silver bullet imbedded in his stomach Jaehwan wasn’t slowing down. He couldn’t lose, he couldn’t die here; Daehyun was right over there, still alive, still needing help, he had to go find Junhong, his family wouldn’t be okay without him, he had to survive this fight! He kicked at Jaehwan’s stomach, tip of his foot connecting right at the bullet’s point of exit, and Jaehwan screamed like an injured beast. In the moment of retaliation, he swung his fist harshly towards Himchan’s face, and Himchan didn’t have time to dodge before the world burst into brighter colors than he could focus on, before he was hitting the floor with a thud.

Laying beside the human, whose breaths he could still barely hear, Himchan struggled to lift himself and found that he couldn’t build up the strength, that his arms wouldn’t push him off the ground. His vision cleared slowly, spotted and foggy, and in that fog he saw Jaehwan kneeling down over him, a smirk of victory formed over the man’s face. “Himchan,” Jaehwan hissed, furious and tired. “You’ve fucked up, trying to kill me.” 

As his vision cleared, he saw motion, but it wasn’t Jaehwan. Himchan’s eyes widened, and quickly he focused back onto his master. He had to distract, he had to keep Jaehwan talking. 

“Why us…? Why out of all of your children did you choose my family to take that magica? You know that I’m not the type to-”

“It was a test,” Jaehwan laughed spitefully. “I knew something was wrong with your coven, I knew something would be wrong with it the moment you came to me with that newborn trainwreck. Of all the humans in the world, the first one you turned happened to be the child of the woman who scorned me? You knew that he’d spite me, you knew that he’d want revenge. And you gave him an in.” Himchan swallowed but kept his narrowed eyes focused. Just a little longer… 

“The moment you did that, Himchan, I knew you’d be the one to betray me. You’ve always been too caring, coddling even. You babied Daehyun, you cared far too much for him. Upon figuring out that he was entranced with such a magica, I decided to see who you would serve, Daehyun or myself. And here we are. My magica has escaped, and you’ve forsaken me.” Himchan swallowed. Jaehwan’s eyes were cold, venomous. They were the same eyes he’d seen in the moments before Jaehwan fell to his anger, the same eyes he’d seen after Daehyun’s mother had been murdered, the same eyes he’d seen when Daehyun’s wrist had been snapped. Himchan let his eyes fall closed, wondering who would strike first, wondering if this would be his last moment. Daehyun, Junhong… Would they make it if he himself didn’t? Would Junhong starve if he didn’t have blood brought to him every day? What would become of the bite on Daehyun’s shoulder without Himchan there to care for him? 

And then he felt a splatter over his face in tandem with a sickening noise, a coalescence between a crunch and a gush, a disgusting sound that created an even grosser mental image of what was happening above him. It was the sound of a blade piercing through flesh, bone, and organ. And he let his eyes slowly flutter open to see that Jaehwan’s gaze was boring deep into his own, an unblinking, endless stare. There was a gaping, leaking hole in his forehead, and the only thing holding his corpse from collapsing down onto Himchan entirely was the dagger in his back. 

Daehyun could barely keep himself upright, kneeling beside them, his hands trembling as the younger hunter’s discarded knife was now clenched between his palms, stabbing down, yanking up, stabbing down again. Each pierce into Jaehwan’s body rustled it over Himchan’s, and the elder held back his nausea as he shoved Jaehwan off of himself. Daehyun didn’t even seem to recognize that Himchan was there. There was a vivid shadow cast in his eyes, a fury, a hatred unrivalled, as he brought down the dagger over and over onto Jaehwan’s corpse. 

Jaehwan was dead. Jaehwan was… dead. Daehyun killed him. Himchan’s mind swirled with the simple and complicated meaning of this realization. His master’s eyes were blank and dull, his corpse shook every time Daehyun stabbed downward, and Himchan watched the blood trickling out of each new wound onto the soft carpet in a trance. Jaehwan was dead. And Daehyun…

“Daehyun,” Himchan whispered hoarsely, but the younger didn’t seem to hear him. Staggering to his feet, Himchan stumbled towards the younger, collapsing to his knees and bringing Daehyun into his full embrace, throat feeling tight, eyes feeling damp as Daehyun writhed and struggled, screamed out desperately for the right to keep punishing the man who took everything away from him. “Daehyun, he’s dead, Daehyun,” Himchan pleaded. There was too much, too fast, Jaehwan was dead, Daehyun killed Jaehwan, Jaehwan was dead, Junhong was missing, Daehyun was bitten, Jaehwan was dead, the magica was gone and Jaehwan was- 

Finally, after having a moment to settle from his fury, Daehyun dropped the dagger, his defiant snarls breaking into a sob as he collapsed entirely into Himchan’s chest. The elder held him tightly, feeling his own tears being drawn for the first time in a number of years, feeling Daehyun tremble in his arms like the child that he was before all of this mess began. “He’s gone, Daehyun. You did it,” Himchan whispered, but the words felt wrong, they felt empty. It should’ve felt like a victory, and yet… and yet… 

“It’s not enough,” Daehyun sobbed, curling his fingers into Himchan’s shirt, tugging at the fabric, leaving bloodstained handprints where his fingers trailed. “It’s still not enough…” It wasn’t enough to make up for everything that Jaehwan had done to them. The trauma he’d inflicted on every member of the family, on Daehyun particularly… Such an easy, quick death was almost merciful to such a man. 

“You can’t do any more,” Himchan whispered. “There’s nothing more that we can do. He’s dead, Daehyun.” 

The bedroom was quiet beyond Daehyun’s quiet cries. The elder hunter was limp on the floor, and Himchan could only faintly hear his breathing between his eldest child’s sniffs and sobs. Junhong, the younger hunter… they were both missing. The magica, Youngjae, gone. The bedsheets were shredded, the vase on the bedside table shattered. One of the paintings that had been hanging on the wall was a heap on the floor beside them, and the carpet was so thickly stained with blood in so many places that Himchan doubted that any amount of scrubbing could entirely clean it. Himchan held Daehyun, stroked his back, until he slackened and fell quiet; His skin was hot. Since when did vampires get fevers…? 

“What does this mean..?” Daehyun whispered, voice weak and hoarse from something more than just crying. “Himchan, he bit me and I feel sick, what does it mean…?” 

“I’ll find out, Dae. I’ll figure it out and we can get through this.” He tried to sound confident, but his voice wouldn’t raise higher than a whisper. In one night, he’d lost so much. His master, his child, his home, his stability. Would he lose Daehyun as well…? And Junhong… 

Junhong. 

Himchan lifted Daehyun into his arms, lowering him down onto the large, mangled bed and whispering hoarsely for him to try and rest. He staggered over the unconscious human and into the living room, which was pristine in all that it was unaffected by the chaos of the night. No Junhong. He took a deep breath, stabilized himself, tried to restrain the thrashing panic as he made his way to Junhong’s bedroom. Empty. 

Rushing back to the bedroom, Himchan scrambled around until he found his cellphone, still quietly charging on the table near Youngjae’s cage. It was eight in the morning. The sun was up. The sun was up and Junhong wasn’t home. “No,” Himchan whispered quietly, his fingers quaking as he tried to bring up the messages and missed numerous times, finally hit the correct button and began to type a shaky message. “Are you alright?” he asked. He always tried to stay calm with Junhong, who’s anxiety would tend to spike whenever Himchan’s did. It was almost a habit, despite how terrified he was in this moment. Junhong would not be alive if he had been in the sunlight for the past two hours. Himchan had no ability to search for him either until the sun set again. 

He waited two minutes before finally making a call. His heart dropped when the ring echoed from Junhong’s bedroom, and his steps were slow, foreboding, as he passed through the quiet living room once more, stepped through the threshold and noted Junhong’s phone sitting lonely on his bed. A shaky step forward. Another and his knees felt weak. One more, and he fell onto his youngest child’s messy bed, ignoring the pile of clothes at the foot of it, the laptop sitting closed on the pillow as he brought the phone into his hands and stared down at it. Swiping it open, he opened the messages and saw his own text, felt a tremble in his chest that rose up to his throat. Underneath it, he saw a text to a number named ‘Daseot.’ 

‘Please don’t come, you will die. I don’t know what we’ll do but we’ll figure it out, so please, please don’t come.’

And in Junhong’s quiet, dark room, in the silent ringing after the chaos of a war, Himchan felt himself break. Holding Junhong’s phone to his forehead until it slipped between his fingers, he finally began to cry. He sobbed for the uncertain fate of his youngest child, he sobbed for their uncertain future. He cried until he was empty of tears, until the emptiness filled his entire being. And after the mourning passed, all that remained was a hollow, pulsing anger. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------

“You can’t just cut it off!” 

Voices. Was he underwater? That’s how it sounded, what with how muffled they were, how they were echoing above him as if from some supernatural being. Was he dead? That was more believable. 

“What else do we do? We have to get it off of him, don’t we?” 

There was one time, when he was six years old, that his brother had to bring him to the hospital. He didn’t remember what he’d contracted, only that doctors had a special tone they used when they didn’t know what to do. This was not that tone. These people sounded frustrated, frantic. And yet somehow, Youngjae felt like they were doctors. Maybe it was the scent of the room, sterile and thin. Maybe it was the familiar whirr of the medical unit’s air conditioning. 

“He’s been wearing that for possibly a full month. Think about all of the magic that’s been stored in his body over the course of that time. Do you think it all just faded away? Why do you think he’s so feverish right now?” 

The collar. They were talking about the collar. Youngjae had forgotten about it, it felt so natural on his neck now after so long of wearing it. 

“If you cut that thing, all of the magic will explode outward. He will die and likely so will we. So put those scissors down. Let’s put this issue aside and focus on getting his vitals stable, shall we?” 

It was hot, but that was familiar. Youngjae couldn’t even feel his eyes to try and open them, which should have been concerning but he couldn’t really feel that either. Was it because he’d been glamoured so heavily? He did remember that, at least the start of it. Yongguk, Jongup… 

A sadness, a fear, dripped over his chest when he thought of them, a dribble of rain over a piece of paper, spreading outward until it left a permanent splotch. Did they make it? Were they here? They had to have made it. If they didn’t… 

His mind didn’t like that, and exhaustion swept over him again. He didn’t want to be conscious, so he free-fell back into sleep the moment the door to it opened again. As the doctors bickered, as Yongguk and Jongup surely waited, safe and sound, Youngjae disappeared back into the quiet of sleep, hoping that next time he opened his eyes he’d see his family standing beside him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will have much more Yongguk in it, sorry that he wasn’t so involved! I wanted to clarify that he is an extremely adept hunter, it’s just that Himchan and Jaehwan are both extremely powerful vampires so… he kind of gets outshadowed. I hope this chapter was alright <3 I was having trouble starting it so it took a little bit, but here it is. 
> 
> Also to those who asked, the Monsta X concert was amazing~ I had a ton of fun!
> 
> Anyway, this is a transitioning point in the story. We’re getting very close to the prologue. Can you guess what’ll happen next? :) I hope you’ve enjoyed it so far, I hope that you’ll continue to enjoy it. Your comments make me so so happy and give me inspiration every day, so I have to say that this story is still ongoing and updated so often thanks to yall. I’m really grateful <3 Take care!


	34. Cooperate

The whirr of the air conditioning was quiet in comparison to the ringing in his ears, the contrasting noises lulling him awake as a pair of muffled footsteps padded away from the room. In another scenario he would’ve fallen back asleep, but his memory wasn’t that dull, his head wasn’t that foggy despite the migraine writhing through it. 

Yongguk could easily admit to feeling like shit even before he opened his eyes. His body was all forms of sore, and his head, fuck, his head hurt like someone had bashed it in. It wasn’t too far from the truth. But how was he alive? Falling unconscious in a fight like that was a death sentence... wasn’t it? 

The first thing he noticed upon trying to shift was that his hands were tied behind his back, and the instinctual panic of being restrained after such a hellish fight began racing immediately through his chest. He forced his eyes open and flinched, squeezing them back closed again with a groan. The light in the room was rather dim but it still stung as if he was staring into the sun, and he took deep breaths to try and ease the pain in his head. He definitely had a concussion, not even trying to sit up, but he did flicker his eyes until they could focus past the light.

Immediately his heartbeat kick-started and he jerked into a sitting position, just as quickly falling back down and curling in on himself as the pain in his head jolted with the motion. He had to compose himself, he had to clear his head, fast. Yongguk tried to settle his panic with steady breaths and opened his eyes once more, peering through bars at the destroyed bedroom.

Picture frames holding flowers and birds were shattered on the carpet, a vase was cracked under the small, antique table nearby. There were dark brown patches crusted over the carpet, coagulated blood, and the fact that it was solidified pointed to how long he’d been unconscious. Yongguk scanned the entire room before his eyes flickered back to the bed, focused through the harsh light on a slight blur of blonde hair and tanned skin.

Daehyun had an ice pack pressed to his forehead, another on his neck, and he’d half kicked the blankets off of himself. Was he conscious…? It didn’t seem like it. His eyebrows were knitted together and as Yongguk watched him he shifted with a quiet groan, biting his lip, clenching the sheets, kicking the comforter off of himself a little further. The ice pack slipped from his neck to the pillow beside him and he made no move to retrieve it. His hair was sticking to his forehead, there was a sheen cast over his skin. What was wrong with him..? Yongguk had never heard of vampires falling ill, and yet that’s exactly what it looked like. 

But he had to consider his own situation. 

He was in the cage, likely the same cage that Youngjae had been kept in. There was a thick comforter under him and a blanket knotted at his legs, given that he’d probably kicked it off as well. Under his head was a pillow with a flowery case, one that smelled of some kind of mellow cologne. Why had he been given these things and yet had his hands tied? 

Yongguk jerked upward, sitting up quickly as a figure entered the room, ignoring the roaring ocean in his head, the ringing in his ears. He wasn’t sure how to feel about Kim Himchan in sweats and a baggy shirt, but the vampire’s presence alone, given his circumstances, wasn’t welcome. “Hey,” Yongguk growled, his voice seeming to echo off of his own skull. But Himchan walked right past him, making his way to the bed and sighing. “Dae, are you awake?” He muttered gently. Upon earning no response, he picked up the fallen ice pack and placed it back onto the younger vampire’s neck, stroking his damp bangs back before turning to Yongguk. 

Rather than the deep glare that he usually exhibited, Himchan looked downright exhausted. There were bags under his eyes, there were creases on his forehead, and Yongguk’s guard fell just slightly upon noting this. “You’re up,” the vampire muttered halfheartedly, allowing himself to drop onto the foot of the bed, rubbing his eyes with his palms. Yongguk swallowed, unsure on how to respond to this. Upon realizing that he was restrained, he’d expected some form of… malice from the elder vampire. “Why haven’t you killed me?” Yongguk asked slowly. 

“Consider it a reward for shooting that asshole. Now I have some things to explain to you.” 

Yongguk blinked, but his glare returned as soon as he could muster it past the confusion. “Yeah, what’s that?” he spat, and despite his better judgement he began to halfheartedly twist his wrists, betting on the off chance that the ropes would be fragile or loosely tied. They were neither of these things, taut and resilient, and all it resulted in was a sharp sting to the skin they dragged along. The fact that he was still here, rather than dead or kicked out, meant that at the very least Kim Himchan expected something from him. If the vampire truly had no use for him, he wouldn’t be in a cage at the moment. The thought was unnerving.

Himchan sighed, lifting his face from his palms and staring down at a shattered painting at his feet, two hummingbirds in brushstrokes of greens and blues staring back at him lifelessly. “First, a question. How did you manipulate Junhong into helping you?” Yongguk almost laughed, bitter and worn, but he decided not to press this vampire’s buttons too many times given his circumstances. He held his stare though, even when Himchan was too lost in a gaze towards the portrait, towards Daehyun or the rest of the room, to return it. 

“I didn’t manipulate him at all,” Yongguk declared. “He’s the one that came to us, saying he wanted Youngjae freed all the same. He gave us your location, he brought Daehyun in on it-” Himchan turned to blink down at his eldest child, eyebrows knitting together before he turned back to Yongguk tiredly. The human shifted back to lean against the bars behind him, glaring up at the vampire above. “He did it all on his own accord.”

“I don’t believe you,” Himchan stated blankly, voice hazy and tired. Yongguk shrugged. “Believe what you want. Ask Daehyun about it when he wakes up.” He then glanced around the destroyed room, slowly voicing, “Now tell me where Youngjae and Jongup are, and tell me why you’re keeping me here.” 

Himchan laughed loosely, but there was no amusement behind his solemn voice. “I wouldn’t know. I’d hope that they’re with Junhong, but there’s no way to tell. As for why I’m keeping you here, I was planning to explain that before you curved the subject.” The vampire rose from the bed, making his way with slow, weighted steps towards the rocking chair a little closer, falling into it with a sigh and staring up at the ceiling. “Jaehwan was one of the more prestigious vampires in the community, and I’m not his only child. His death, as beneficial as it is for us, is in no way convenient. I’ve burned his body already and buried the ashes as soon as I could, but his absence will be obvious within the next few days. They’ll want to know what happened to him.” 

Yongguk blinked slowly. He still didn’t understand what this had to do with him or his family. He’d done his job, and Youngjae and Jongup were hopefully safe (he wanted to believe that Junhong was trustworthy, but then again he was a vampire), and vampiric politics were nothing he wanted to get involved in. He wanted to go home, to go see Youngjae for the first time in a full month, to make sure Jongup was okay after the hit to the head he saw him take, he wanted to go be with his family and never go out at night again. The irritation at his inability to do that was building the more Himchan’s low-toned voice rambled on, and he shifted at the ropes again until it burned enough to stop. 

“If I’m considered a suspect, it’ll be a problem. Daehyun is bitten and that’s evidence enough that something went wrong.” Himchan paused, glancing once more to the blonde in the bed. The ice pack had slid off again, leaving a shiny trail of water over what looked from afar to be a deep bruise on Daehyun’s neck, but he made no move to replace it again. “But what would be believable is that a group of infamous hunters killed Jaehwan, and that it was entirely out of my control.” 

A chill washed over Yongguk’s chest like a busted leak, and he sucked in a breath. “So I’m your scapegoat then?” he asked after releasing the air he’d inhaled, voice tinted with a low dread, an unsaid threat. “You’re going to blame all of this on me, on us.” A slow nod from the vampire across the room had his heart dropping. It was disgustingly unfair, but that wasn’t nearly as much of a concern as their future was if Himchan actually went through with this. It meant that they were in danger again, in worse danger than ever before. They’ve dealt with a single vampire targeting them, or even a small coven, but that was thanks to Youngjae’s fire and the VED’s technology. If Jaehwan was truly as important as Himchan indicated, they had much worse of a threat in their wake. “What will they do,” Yongguk asked slowly, feeling anger and bile rise up all at once, trying to force them both down; Snapping here would do nothing for him, not with his hands tied, not when he was locked up. “What will they do if they think it’s us?” 

Himchan’s eyes dragged from the painting he’d returned to before, locking his gaze with Yongguk’s firmly, and was that pity he saw in his gaze..? “You know what will happen to Youngjae. He’s too valuable to kill.” Yongguk growled. He’d do anything to keep Youngjae out of a feeder house, but would he have the opportunity to get involved again, to even warn his family of what hell will probably come…? “As for the other human, Jongup was its name?” Yongguk didn’t bother to confirm or deny, too lost in the simple, calm explanation of a horrible, foreboding future. “I can’t tell you what will happen to… him, I wouldn’t know. His blood smells awful, and while that’s just an effect of magic, it’s not something that they’ll be fond of keeping. You’ll likely be killed, have the blood sucked out of you or something along those lines. It’s not a painful way to die, so they may consider something else. Jaehwan was loved, and his death will be mourned. They’ll want revenge.” 

“Revenge that we don’t deserve,” Yongguk scoffed. “I didn’t think a stuck up vampire like you could be such a fucking coward, but you’re really going to place all of your consequences on us?”

Himchan bowed his head, a sigh brushing past his lips. “It’s what I have to do. Wouldn’t you do the same if it were your family at risk?” The answer was no. He’d find another way, he’d do something else, anything to avoid anyone taking punishment even if it meant taking the brunt of it all himself. 

“With Junhong helping us, I’ve almost begun to forget that vampires like you are demons,” Yongguk muttered bitterly before allowing his eyes to snap back up, glaring daggers into Himchan’s tired gaze. “I don’t care if I’m your fucking scapegoat, but don’t you dare touch my family. You think you’ve seen monsters? Just fucking wait.” It was an empty threat, but what else could he do? Once again, it all felt hopeless. Once again, they were trapped. 

Himchan shrugged, letting the chair rock back and forth in a slow rhythm. “We’re in the same boat, you know,” he sighed. “It’s not like I haven’t realized how dedicated you are to them. I’m trying to protect my family just like you are, and the only way to do that is this. So try to understand.” He then stood, letting the chair continue to rock on its own, walked and knelt beside the cage, Yongguk baring teeth and sharp eyes because it was all that he could do. Helpless, he hated feeling so fucking helpless. “But I’m not a demon like you say, and I do want to consider Daehyun and Junhong’s… interest in your family, so I’ll give something in return. Tonight I’m going to search for Junhong. He’s likely either with Youngjae or the other one, and when I find him, I’ll warn them of what’s to come. At the very least they won’t be unprepared. It’s fair that way.” Fair? Bullshit. But Himchan continued. “I am grateful to you, human, Bang Yongguk, and I am sorry for this. If there were another way, I would’ve honestly just left you be. I’m tired of this conflict, and without Jaehwan pursuing it I’d rather just live with my family in peace. But there isn’t another way. I’ll be bringing you to Jaehwan’s mansion as a hostage after I find Junhong tonight. Cooperate and I’ll argue to spare your family. That’s the most that I personally can do.” 

“Fuck you,” Yongguk growled, but his chest felt tight, the air felt colder than it had before. Hopeless… He refused to let it be this way. He’d find an out, he had to. He wouldn’t let his family be taken, be hurt, ever again, even if it killed him.

A soft, pained groan knocked a crack through the tension, and Himchan lifted from his crouch immediately to hurry to the bedside, leaning over the lump in the blankets. “Dae,” Yongguk heard him whisper, feeling discomfort in the tone of Himchan’s voice. It was familiarly soft, like how Yongguk himself would talk to Jongup when he fell into a breakdown from time to time, and he didn’t like being able to relate to it so naturally. “Are you thirsty?” 

A mumble gave answer to the question, but Yongguk couldn’t make out Daehyun’s words. Himchan hummed before straightening up. His gaze for just a split second was soft as clay, hardening when he turned back towards Yongguk. “Will you eat if I give you food?” he asked, and Yongguk narrowed his eyes in response. Himchan only sighed. “Suit yourself,” he muttered, before pacing out of the room. His movements were fluid as any vampires, and yet Yongguk could almost tell that they were hurried, reminding him of the anxiety of hands fidgeting, of someone pacing back and forth. 

And as much as he wanted to believe that he could in no way relate to this vampire, he absolutely could. It reminded him of himself in the days after Jongup said that Youngjae was missing, waiting anxiously, watching the door like Youngjae could walk in at any moment. Junhong was cherished by Himchan, Yongguk knew this for a fact. The fury in Himchan’s eyes on the night where they first fought him after Youngjae burned Junhong was unrivalled, surely he cared for his coven as strongly as a mother would, perhaps even more. Was that something that vampires were naturally attuned to do? It was something to consider for later hunts… 

No. There wouldn’t be anymore hunts. He’d decided that while preparing his gear to save Youngjae just last night. They’d find income another way. As for revenge, the sole reason why he and Jongup began hunting in the first place… 

He figured that, now, what they had lost no longer held value against what they had to lose.

Himchan stepped back into the room, eyes glazed with a focus that coated worry and unease, the vampire taking quick steps back towards the bed. Yongguk winced upon noting the crimson liquid splashing along the sides of a lidded, glass cup. Himchan placed the cup gently on the bedside table, but paused upon actually looking down at Daehyun. Three seconds passed. Daehyun was still, likely having fallen back asleep. Two more seconds, just to be sure, and then he sighed. 

“What are we going to do…?” he whispered, and Yongguk was sure, no, positive, that Himchan hadn’t intended to say such a vulnerable thing aloud. 

“You’re in just as much of a mess as we are, aren’t you?” Yongguk muttered, and Himchan’s head whipped, eyes narrowing tightly. Yongguk didn’t give him time to retort. “That vampire is dead and you have blood on your hands. One of your coven is missing, the other is…” Yongguk nodded towards Daehyun before bringing his gaze back to the vampire above him, who was staring daggers right back. The wine red of Himchan’s irises almost looked brown, almost looked normal in the current lighting. Yongguk wished that the other features of him, the paleness, the smoothness of his skin, everything else that screamed vampire, were also less apparent. The feeling of even being around a vampire was still something that sent tension through his muscles, brought out a desperate urge to fight in him that he couldn’t act on now, but that couldn’t be helped. 

“Junhong came to us,” Yongguk continued slowly. “Because he felt guilty for what was happening to Youngjae. Before that, I didn’t even know that vampires could feel guilt. I figured they could anger, they could hunger, and that was about it.” Himchan parted his lips to speak. Yongguk didn’t give him the chance. “Junhong… is probably the most human vampire I’ve ever met,” Yongguk muttered. “And because of that, he was trustworthy enough. The last I saw of him, he was taking Youngjae and Jongup out of this wreck. Isn’t it strange that a vampire like that could come from a vampire like you?” 

Himchan flinched, sighing as he lowered himself once again into the rocking chair nearby, rubbing his eyes with his palms so harshly that it almost looked painful. “Junhong is a mess,” he mumbled under his breath. “Jaehwan called him defective. He was turned a little less than a year ago and he hasn’t learned nearly anything. He refuses to hunt, I can barely get him to drink from time to time. His heart is bigger than his head, and that’s why he’s out there, alone, in broad daylight right now.” His tone grew more desperate, more harsh as he went on, as the anger burst through, as the worry overwhelmed even that. “He helped you because I didn’t raise him properly, he helped you because he wasn’t using his head. Him and Daehyun, they’re both so rash. I care for them greatly and yet…” 

And yet...?

Himchan’s eyes slowly hardened. Yongguk wondered how overwhelmed he must be to be throwing this information out so loosely, to be so open with the humans he despised. 

“I respect you, Bang Yongguk, if only just a little,” Himchan muttered. “We are more similar than either of us would probably like to admit, and that’s why you’re alive. It would be easier to kill you, to just take your corpse to Jaehwan’s other children and let them assume that you were the cause of his death.” Yongguk bit his lip, but he waited. His words earlier hadn’t been thrown out randomly. He brought up Junhong for a reason. “I would do that,” Himchan continued lowly, “But Junhong would call me a monster for it. Like I said before, if I had any say, I’d just throw you out and be done with you, but I don’t have the ability to make a call like that without putting my family at risk.” 

“I’ll give you to them alive,” Himchan finished, slowly, eyes focused sharply into Yongguk’s. And suddenly, just what Himchan was subtly implying clicked in his head like a switch being flipped. Himchan continued slowly, bowing his head low. “And if you happen to escape, if you happen to break free, as long as it doesn’t affect my family, it isn’t my problem.” His heart began to race, he was sure that Himchan could hear it clearly, the rapid pounding of some kind of muffled, subtle hope. “As I promised, Youngjae and your other human will be warned once I find Junhong. All I want is to leave this mess with my family safe. I’m sure you feel the same way.”

“You’re serious… right?” Yongguk asked slowly. Himchan bowed his head even lower. 

“I’m willing to make a deal with someone like you only because I’m this desperate. You are my scapegoat. As long as you cooperate, however, you may be able to escape the punishment.” 

Yongguk shifted, bringing his fingers down to brush against the green and yellow tattoos on his wrist. Two heartbeats pulsed steadily, safely. As long as they were safe… as long as they made it… 

“I’ll cooperate. Tell me what you want me to do.” 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jongup fell asleep hours ago, but Junhong was too tired to do the same. His eyelids felt heavy as if pebbles were resting atop them, and yet he couldn’t keep his eyes closed without thoughts racing through his head faster than he could catch them. 

So he didn’t close his eyes. Instead, he watched the human in front of him, curled up on the wooden floors and hugging himself in his sleep. Jongup was so strange, a walking contradiction. A loud personality, loud thoughts, and no voice to clearly express them, lean muscle and tattoos that resembled omens on the arms of someone so small in comparison to Junhong himself, someone so alive and warm. Where did they stand in relation to one another…? He couldn’t wrap his head around the answer, no matter how many hours he’d spent already thinking about it. They were friends online, close enough friends to rant to each other honestly. Did Jongup remember that at all…? He did save Junhong from the sunlight, that was another thing he couldn’t wrap his head around. If Jongup wanted to walk out of this shed right now, he absolutely could, he could ignore how the sun filtering in would burn Junhong and just leave. 

But he didn’t. Instead, he laid down and fell asleep. Junhong had told him to rest given his concussion, but he hadn’t expected Jongup to actually listen. It was almost warming, for a split second, to consider that the human had considered his words. Maybe they were still friends somewhere. Junhong had always been more human than he should be. Perhaps that was why he felt comfortable around Jongup. Jongup, however, was in no way comfortable with vampires. He was probably just confused, unsure on how he should feel about having befriended a vampire. Junhong wouldn’t pressure him. After all, at least Jongup even survived. Jongup and Youngjae, he knew they were safe… 

But his own family… 

Junhong wished he had tattoos that could sense whether his family was alive or not, but they had no heartbeats to measure. Daehyun, Himchan… even Yongguk, honestly. He was worried sick about them to the point where closing his eyes created images in his mind of things he couldn’t bear to accept. Jaehwan was powerful, this was a fact. Would he find his family resting after the big fight tonight when he returned home? 

Or would he find Jaehwan? 

The war wasn’t over yet, at least not for Junhong, and a shadow of a heart that hadn’t beat in a year pretended to race in his chest. If they were dead, it was because he interfered, it was because he saved Youngjae, it was because he brought the humans to the house. If he didn’t do that, then there wouldn’t be a risk of Daehyun, or Himchan, being in danger like this. The guilt was already eating away at him even though he had no way of knowing whether they were truly safe or not, because he was the reason danger existed in the first place. 

If he had warned Himchan… no, it wouldn’t have worked. If he hadn’t gotten Daehyun in on it… No, Daehyun would’ve done something on his own. 

Jongup shifted, sighed, and Junhong forced himself to breath, the inhales and exhales steady as much as they were unnecessary. It reminded him of the days when he used to breathe automatically, and it was calming. They would be okay. They had to be okay. And if they weren’t okay… No. He would worry about that when worrying gave some actual benefit. 

Things would be okay. It seemed to be a curse, that the moment he considered those words, something would go wrong. His first hunt, he figured things would be okay. When they first took Youngjae in, he figured things would be okay. Junhong had learned his lesson. He knew something bad was going to happen the moment Jongup’s phone started to buzz against the wooden floors. 

Jongup jolted up from sleep, eyes hazy, hair swept messily over his forehead, his eyes widening as he scrambled to lift his phone. He stared at the screen as Junhong sat frozen, before his eyes slowly scanned upward to the vampire across from him. 

He didn’t have time to answer the call. They didn’t have time to communicate. There were voices outside the shed door. 

 

“Agent Moon, are you in there?” A man shouted, voice gruff and echoing through Junhong’s chest like a bullet. Jongup was a deer in headlights. “Open the door!” 

And it clicked, something that Junhong hadn’t even considered, a mistake so tiny that his mind hadn’t even glazed over it. The phone. Himchan had smashed Youngjae’s phone even before they arrived at the house. Junhong hadn’t thought about it, didn’t ask about it. 

The phone… surely the VED had trackers on all of their agents. Jongup’s heart was racing as his gaze flashed between Junhong and the door. Neither of them moved, as if staying still and quiet could make the danger go away. 

Three seconds of silent, Junhong spared the fourth to breathe.

And the doors flew open, the light of the sunset pouring in. Junhong yelped in surprise, rolling into the back corner of the shed, out of the sun’s rays. Jongup didn’t move, his dark eyes shadowed and blank in shock as he stared up at the face of one of his trainers and ten other VED agents with guns in their holsters. He watched as their eyes scanned the shed beyond Jongup, and both the human and the vampire noted the exact moment that they noticed Junhong with his back to the wall. 

“Is that…”

“...that man… no, the eyes, they’re pink!” 

The gruff voice of the man boasted through the shed like a bugle. 

“Vampire!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I wanted to say that I'm super super sorry that this chapter took so long to come out, especially after my previous short break. I've been in the process of getting a new apartment and working a lot of hours at my job, so I haven't had a chance to write much lately! I'm excited to show the next few chapters though, so I'll try to make time to update much sooner than this. Sorry again! 
> 
> Can you guess how the prologue will come to play from this chapter? I'm excited haha, I've been building to this moment for so so long. There's much more left to this story even after we reach the beginning again, so hopefully its something that you'll enjoy reading for a long time <3 I hope this chapter is good, I reread it a number of times since I haven't written in a while and wanted the quality to be good haha. 
> 
> Either way, have a good day! Expect another update as soon as I have the time to write again!


	35. Warning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for Violence

It was a dream. He knew this immediately, given that he knew he was currently lying in a bed and not running around a vacant mall with his family. Even as he strolled alongside Jongup in a brightly lit, colorful department store he could still feel the smooth, plastic texture of a cheap hospital blanket draped over his bare skin. The steady beep of the monitor was a constant drone in the background, so quiet that he could only barely consciously pick it up. But he did, and it was a reminder all its own that these happy times could only be replicated in dreams such as this. 

For that reason and with that understanding, Yoo Youngjae didn’t wake for nearly three days. He didn’t want to. Whether he opened his eyes and saw vampires or opened them and saw medical staff, he wouldn’t open them and see his family. As the days drew by and the exhaustion from the malnutrition and trauma of the past month didn’t fade even slightly, he kept his eyes closed and wished in the moments that he was awake that he could be asleep again.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Everything was at a standstill. Thirteen pairs of eyes flickered from one figure to the next, the agents looking to their boss, to the vampire in the shed, Junhong looking to Jongup, Jongup looking everywhere except for behind him at Junhong. Slowly, Jongup stood, the dusty wooden floorboards creaking quietly under the shift of his weight. With eleven men before him, one familiar and the rest with guns at the ready, Junhong figured it would take quick, talented words to get them (or him, at least) out of this situation alive.

Too bad Jongup couldn’t speak. 

“Moon Jongup,” the leader of the VED agents muttered. He seemed the most stunned of the newcomers, seeing one of the top vampire hunters sitting peacefully in a room with a vampire. Jongup didn’t reply, his phone resting worthlessly on the floor two feet from his shoes. Junhong wondered if he didn’t attempt to sign out a response because he knew that the man didn’t know sign language, or because he knew that no explanation could fix something like this. The radiance of the setting sun broke against the man’s back, coating him in shadows, and Jongup in all of his muscle and tattoos looked small in comparison to what he was facing. Junhong looked past him, wondered if he could run fast enough to avoid eleven bullets, wondered if he could take Jongup with him, knew that he could easily do the first and not the second, but what else were they to do?

“Step aside, Agent Moon. We’ll discuss this later,” the man growled. Junhong bit his lip, and in his head he begged for Jongup to just obey the order. He could dodge a bullet and run, he could at least take down the captain and get out before the others knew what to do… or… could he? The only other time he’d fought an actual hunter was when Youngjae half roasted him, could he really stand a chance in attempting to flee? 

Jongup’s heart was racing. Junhong could hear it clearly, and was somewhat glad that the hunters wouldn’t be able to. The younger hunter showed no other signs of fear, standing stoutly in the doorway. Junhong watched his back with an alternatively anxious stare, fight or flight instinct tearing at his nervous system, his legs desperate to run, his arms desperate to swing. Instead he stayed rooted, frozen, as if the world would move on and forget him if he just stayed still enough. 

“Step aside,” the man snarled, impatience and an undertone of fear lacing his words. He motioned with his left hand and ten guns slipped from their holsters, unsteady hands raising them up to point indiscriminately in the direction of the shed where Jongup stood and Junhong hid. “Step aside or I’ll be forced to consider you a traitor.” 

Two seconds passed, two seconds that felt like minutes despite how they ticked one by one in Junhong’s head. And then, Jongup moved. 

Hands jerking to his sides, he rushed out towards the men, daggers slipping from his belt even as Junhong screamed for him to stop. What the fuck was he doing?! These were his own people! All eleven of the men, including the captain, froze as they surely didn’t expect such a reaction, and it was just enough time for Junhong’s body to make the decision for him. Fight, or run. In an instant, he flitted out of the shed. 

It was an impulsive decision, and he felt a groan slip from his throat as the last of the sun’s miniscule rays suddenly broke exhaustion over his body. He was lucky that it was so low in the sky, that night had almost consumed it, or the effects surely would’ve been stronger than this striking weight on his shoulders. A bang brought his distant mind to focus, and he jerked his body sporadically to the right just in time to avoid a bullet that whisked past his shoulder. 

Instantly Junhong whipped his head towards Jongup. He could dodge a bullet with the vampiric speed naturally granted to him, but Jongup wouldn’t be able to nearly as easily. He hardly felt relieved upon noting that none of the guns were pointed at Jongup, specifically because every single one of them was locked onto him. Jongup himself had frozen in place for just a moment, as if contemplating whether he really could attack his own, as if realizing that he wouldn’t be capable of bringing himself to do so if he tried. The captain, realizing this, released a breath that Junhong hadn’t noticed he was holding. The man’s eyebrows scrunched together, his teeth grit into a snarl, and he barked, “Kill the vampire, and restrain Moon Jongup!” 

And Junhong froze. Surely he could’ve dodged the bullets that were about to be propelled towards him if he’d moved instantly, surely he could’ve taken off. But where would that leave Jongup? The instance of hesitation was enough for the men to have fired, for them to have taken his life, and realizing this only kept him frozen like a deer in eleven headlights, like a criminal waiting to be stoned. 

But they never shot. Junhong’s hands trembled at his sides, and he whispered, “Don’t,” but it was too quiet, almost silent, and no one had heard it, not even Jongup who stood directly between him and the soldiers with his arms spread out. “Jongup don’t,” he stuttered out, this time louder, but it was too late. The captain’s mouth was agape in shock before his lips pressed tightly, and a stone-cold fury dripped from his eyes. “Are you insane?” the man hissed. Jongup was a statue, arms spread at either side, a blatant show of protection, making his body into a wall between Junhong and the hunters. He couldn’t reply, he didn’t attempt to, and Junhong couldn’t comprehend what was happening. Jongup was protecting him. Jongup was risking his life to protect him. Jongup was betraying the entire human race in defending him like this, and despite the regret, the unease, that shone vividly on his face, he didn’t step aside. 

“Moon Jongup, step aside or I’ll have no choice in declaring you a traitor to the VED.” 

Jongup swallowed, his throat bobbed with the motion, and yet… 

And Junhong realized that if there was a time to run, it was now. He could run in this moment and surely the hunters would go after him, which would give Jongup time to run, too. Whether he was shot didn’t matter so much to him with the adrenaline swirling knots into his stomach, numbing his fear. Twisting on the balls of his feet, Junhong made to run, but the sound of gagging from behind him made him freeze. 

He turned back and every emotion exploded in his chest at once.Shock, confusion, relief, fear, unease, anxiety. Every emotion at once, and yet his mind was numb to everything besides the image of Himchan holding the broad captain in the air by the throat, Junhong having turned just in time to see the elder vampire’s hand tighten and to hear the man’s spine crunch loudly, wide eyes dulling, struggling limbs going limp. 

Every human in the vicinity froze, every heart skipped a beat, and Junhong swallowed as Himchan dropped the captain as if he were a sack of trash, turned with narrow eyes towards the rest of the humans. Jongup was trembling but that wasn’t anything in comparison to the terror basked over the hunters’ faces. One turned tail and darted off. Himchan let him go, standing between Junhong and Jongup and the remaining hunters with a cold, numbed exhaustion cast over his stoic face. “Junhong,” he muttered, an undefinable grumble to his voice, the younger vampire tensing. The captain was either dead or would be soon, his neck already disgustingly bruised and almost completely crushed. Himchan rarely fought so brutally, often attempting to not get his hands dirty at all in any form of fight. But something felt different about the elder, and Junhong wasn’t sure if he was relieved that he was saved or afraid of the change. 

Himchan flicked and another hunter screamed as his neck was snapped, three bangs echoed loudly throughout the once quaint neighborhood park but Himchan didn’t stutter in his motion long enough to be hit. Two more humans dropped dead to the ground seconds after Himchan appeared before them, and some of the men turned and ran, a few placing their fingers to earpieces and yelling out something inaudible, not getting far before Himchan made it to them and silenced them. Junhong tore his eyes from the sight of his master’s killing spree, but he almost wished he hadn’t looked to Jongup. The human was frozen, eyes wide as they peered down at the captain’s corpse. Had Jongup known this man, these men…? Junhong had forgotten for possibly too long that Jongup was one of them, that these could have been his companions at one point. 

It only took a minute or so, the time passing in a blurred line between too fast and unbearably slow. In that time, three humans had made their way in full sprint out of the park, and eight were dead on the grass. 

And then Himchan turned to Jongup. The only remaining human was frozen, trembling, his daggers limp in his palms, a sheen of sweat coating his forehead. Junhong had forgotten that he was still injured, but surely a concussion wasn’t the worst of what he was experiencing in this moment. With blood on his hands, staining his sleeves, with a cold grimace on his face, Himchan approached.

Junhong stepped in front of Jongup with his arms spread. “Himchan,” he breathed, voice laced with a plead, “Himchan he saved me.” The master continued to approach, and Junhong raised his voice, desperation flooding his tone now as he realized that Jongup could die right here to Himchan’s unreasoned anger. “Himchan!”

“I’m not going to kill him,” Himchan sighed, and Junhong relaxed only slightly upon realizing that the cold fury in his gaze had long faded. “Those humans intended to kill or capture you, I did what I had to. But you were stupid for getting yourself into this situation, Junhong.” Junhong bowed his head, biting his lip. He knew. “Locked in a shed with a hunter all day… There were so many ways you could’ve been killed in the past twenty-four hours, do you know how worried I was?” 

He could imagine. He was Himchan’s baby after all, as Daehyun always put it. Daehyun would rebel all he wanted, but Junhong was the one without any experience in self-defense, without the guts to hurt someone if he needed to. Junhong was the one who’d gone out of his way, thrown himself into danger, to save hunters that would in almost any other situation have attempted to kill him. Youngjae was safe, and Jongup had no reason to keep Junhong alive anymore. Which led to the question that wracked his mind… Why did Jongup betray his comrades for Junhong’s sake..?

Himchan pulled him down into a tight hug, and he could feel the elder’s stare even if his face was buried in the shoulder of Himchan’s cologne-infused shirt. “Human, go,” he ordered. Junhong could hear Jongup’s racing heartbeat, his unstable breathing. It sounded similarly to the way hearts would beat and humans would breathe when they were about to cry, but there was no vocal confirmation of this. Junhong pulled away from Himchan’s embrace and turned. Jongup hadn’t moved. His eyes were wide, wet and distant, and he raised his hands slowly and signed. 

What he signed, Junhong had no idea, and he forced determination into himself to learn sign language as soon as possible, even if he never saw Jongup again, just in case. But Jongup wasn’t looking at Junhong, and Junhong glanced over his shoulder to catch the narrowing of Himchan’s eyes. “Just because I’m old doesn’t mean that I understand everything,” the elder sighed. “Sign language isn’t something I’ve ever had reason to learn.” Jongup’s eyes cast down, his hands lowered slowly and his lips pressed together. What he was saying, or asking… Junhong’s chest felt tight upon realizing that he’d never know, not with Jongup’s phone dead… unless… 

“Here,” he hurried, stepping forward with careful pacing and slipping his own phone from his pocket, unlocking it and handing it over. Jongup took it gratefully, his fingers skittering across the screen almost immediately after finding the notes app. Himchan folded his arms impatiently, but Jongup was done in seconds, holding the phone back out for Junhong to take. 

Junhong frowned before passing the phone to Himchan. He didn’t have the answer, but with a grim certainty, he knew that Himchan did.

‘Where’s Yongguk?’ 

Himchan merely sighed before handing the phone back to Junhong, who kept it in hand, unsure if Jongup would need it in a second to respond to whatever Himchan said. There was a tension in the fresh darkness of the night-cast park, and the smell of blood was disgustingly tempting despite the murder spree that had happened minutes before. Junhong realized with unease that he hadn’t eaten in a long time, his stomach growling, and he tried not to think of all of the blood around him, namely the fresh blood right in front of him, flowing through the attractive hunter’s veins. He’d bitten Jongup before, and despite the distasteful smell, his blood had been delicious and fresh. It was tempting now, even knowing who Jongup was, and Junhong cursed his instincts for thinking so. 

“He’s with us,” Himchan explained stoically. “And I told him that I’d give you a warning, so here it is.” Jongup’s eyes narrowed, his fingers tightening just enough on the daggers to give him a solid grip if need be. Knowing that Yongguk was in the same danger that Youngjae had been in, seeing Youngjae’s condition afterwards, surely had him on edge. Junhong wasn’t sure what Himchan’s goal was, what he was doing in keeping Yongguk hostage, but he doubted it was for nothing. 

“You, and Youngjae, are in danger from now on. Jaehwan has other children, twelve other children, that will be furious over his death. To put it bluntly, I’m putting you three to blame.” Junhong’s eyes widened and he whipped to look at the elder vampire beside him. “Himchan-”

“They’ll come after you,” Himchan continued nonchalantly. “As I told Yongguk, they likely won’t kill Youngjae. But you two have no value. I’m giving Yongguk right into their hands tonight after I return home. If he escapes, then you three are free to do what you have to to survive. If he doesn’t… well.” Himchan shrugged, gazing down at the grass stains on the rims of his pants legs. “You’ll know within the next few days when he doesn’t return home.” 

Jongup stepped forward, teeth grit, but Himchan gave him no time to decide whether he was going to fight and Jongup hardly seemed eager to actually go against a vampire who took down eight of his fellow hunters. Junhong held out the phone, but Jongup didn’t sheath his blades again to take it, holding them tightly, too tightly, so that it almost looked painful. 

“I gave you warning, as I promised. For now, I’m sure you have to deal with the fact that you just attempted to fight your own kind for a vampire’s sake.” Himchan paused, before slowly continuing, “And as much as it pains me, I thank you for guarding Junhong. He can hardly stand up for himself yet.” Junhong was shocked and Jongup was no different. Himchan just thanked a human…? But the elder vampire had already turned to walk away, and Junhong hurried after him, eager to go home, eager to rest. He was worried for Jongup but what else could he do? If he was around the human for much longer the hunger might become overwhelming enough to snap and bite him. 

“How’s Daehyun holding up…?” he asked uneasily, attempting to distract himself as Jongup’s heartbeat grew fainter, as they flitted towards their home. Himchan’s response was soft in all that it was unsettling. “He’s not doing well.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Finally this chapter is out! I hope that it’s alright, and that it’s long enough for now, and that it’s entertaining. I haven’t written anything since the last chapter, so please forgive me if I’ve gotten a bit sloppy or missed some things. I’ve been eager to get back to this story after such a long pause, so sorry for keeping you waiting for so long! For now… everything’s getting hectic, isn’t it? It seems like this story is almost always hectic haha, I’m sorry for that <3 Thank you so much for reading and for waiting for me. I reread (and even rewrote) this chapter multiple times so I hope its okay! Take care!


	36. Fair

The crickets chirping contrasted sharply with the smell of blood lingering in the air, and Jongup felt a numbness that was growing more and more familiar as he looked out onto the lawn. The past hour, no the past day, had been a blur, such a different experience than the dragging of the past two months. 

His heart was still racing. He knew these bodies, he recognized them easily from passings in the hallways and occasional missions, and he knew he’d never get used to watching a vampire slaughter familiar faces. But somehow the fact that he knew the vampire who did it, he contributed to its reasoning, and that he wasn’t even attacked, added to the guilt pulsing with the rapid beat in his chest. 

What the hell was he going to do…? He had to find Yongguk, he had to check on Youngjae, but now there was a lesser, yet more urgent, priority to manage. Stumbling back to the shed on trembling legs, he lifted his phone and clicked the home button. 

Dead. He clicked it again and nothing came from it, his tired eyes wearing even further at the realization that he wouldn’t be able to contact anyone. It was good to know that the VED could track a phone even when the battery was drained, yet a bitter thing to realize given his current situation. He’d protected a vampire, and the agents that had escaped surely were alerting the VED of this right at this moment. Why had he protected a vampire?

Mul. Junhong. He’d intended to keep him alive, if only out of gratitude for taking him and Youngjae out of that house, but there was no rational excuse to make for why he’d put a vampire above other humans, especially other humans that he knew. Because of his actions a number of his comrades were limp on the ground, because of his actions he’d almost certainly be declared a traitor. His stomach tightened, his chest was drowned, he walked with an aching migraine and a furious anxiety across the grass and towards the road. 

Above all else, he had to go explain himself. Say that it was an error, that he panicked upon having a gun to his face, even just tell the truth and say that the vampire rescued him. It would take profuse apology to make up for such a horrible error, but would that even be enough? His lip quivered and he bit down on it as punishment. He had to tough this out. Until Yongguk was safe and until he could confirm that Youngjae was okay, he couldn’t break down. But the smell of recent blood was haunting, the image of Himchan tearing from person to person ingrained under his eyelids, flashing every time he blinked. 

And the warning. It was another thing amongst a million things that weighed down over his shoulders. Himchan said that there would be twelve vampires coming for them. Youngjae, currently hopefully at the VED being cared for, would be safe there. Jongup hardly cared for himself at this point, but Yongguk. 

He hugged himself tightly as he walked, finally stopping at an intersection with no idea which direction to head to. Clear his name or attempt to save Yongguk? Himchan could easily change his mind about killing him, but if he truly was convicted as a traitor, he wouldn’t have the chance to return. 

He took a left, inhaled slowly, and broke into a sprint. The vampire’s house was further from the outskirts than he was, and he could only hope that he’d properly memorized the route they’d taken on the way to save Youngjae. Running alone at night was nearly a death sentence, and Jongup prayed that he wouldn’t bump into any vampires along the way. He couldn’t take one down alone, but more importantly a fight would slow him down. Himchan said he was taking Yongguk away tonight. Jongup couldn’t let that happen, he couldn’t lose another family member, he couldn’t sit and wait for a body to show up. Yongguk was his savior, his brother, and risking his life was nothing if it meant that he could potentially do something to stop this. 

His footsteps pounded on the asphalt as he twisted through and finally out of the neighborhood, the dead silence of a full moon’s night pulsing in his ears, at least until the growling of an engine began to echo in his direction. It was rare to hear a car moving at night and unease set heavy in his stomach, directing him out of the road and onto the sidewalk as headlights veered over the hill. Jongup took a glance behind him, swallowing tightly. He was being paranoid. He’d slipped his phone back into his pocket earlier, having hoped that someone could come for him if need be, but now definitely wasn’t the right time for that. The car approached and Jongup winced as the light from the headlights shot through his night-attuned eyes, he stumbled, caught himself, and froze as the car came to a sliding stop. 

There was a pause and Jongup wasted it wondering if the woods behind him would take him to his destination if he sprinted into them fast enough. He didn’t know another route to the vampires’ house but surely, surely it would do him better than being taken in here. With a slow breath, he took a step back. Instantly a flashlight shined from the front car window into his eyes, and the doors all flung open. 

It sounded like a stampede, the boots of six VED agents hitting the ground, and Jongup’s heart skipped when he realized that two of them had their guns out, pointed at him. The instant, instinctual terror was enough to prevent him from following his plan and running, and that was all the time needed for the agents just feet away. 

A voice was muffled by the rumble of the car’s engine, the thudding of his heartbeat in his ears, but he still heard it clearly. “Moon Jongup, we’re taking you in for potential treason.” The VED didn’t have any laws saying that they could arrest someone, only having responsibility over vampires and their own agents, the people who signed their names under a contract that donated their life to keeping the peace. Jongup was one of the signatures though, and even though they couldn’t legally arrest him, they would be able to use force if necessary to detain him. Keeping the peace would be their excuse, but what was he doing dangerously that would cause them to already have guns drawn? Did they trust him that little? He’d never heard of an incident where a human actually sided with a vampire, besides of course glamoured victims or traumatized feeders. Did they truly believe their own agent would go against them in that way?

And were they right..? Jongup’s mind flashed to the bodies littering the park’s dewey grass, to how those people would’ve possibly survived if he’d just let them shoot Junhong and leave before Himchan could arrive. The idea of Junhong, the only vampire he’d ever found himself trusting, dying after protecting him wasn’t one that he was comfortable considering an option. It was a situation where either choice would lead to death, and he made his decision. 

Too bad it wasn’t his choice to make. An agent who sided with a vampire was a traitor indeed, and the guns were pointed not at a comrade, but at someone who assisted the enemy and allowed them to kill a number of the VED’s men. Realizing this shoved shame down his throat, and slowly, he raised his hands beside his head. He wouldn’t be able to argue his case, he doubted any of these men knew sign language. Running would just prove his guilt, could possibly even get him shot at. Yongguk… Would Yongguk make it if he were taken here? Would… would Yongguk be mad at him for his choice?

Absolutely, he’d be fuming. And Jongup found that to be enough resignation to let himself be grabbed by the two men who approached, to be harshly manhandled to the side of the car, to be handcuffed and shoved into the vehicle without arguing. He’d save his fight, he’d take his guilt, he’d admit to what he did wrong and plead that someone find Yongguk before they figure out what to do with the first traitor since the Red Moon Massacre happened. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The blood was crisping to his palms, and he’d never been fond of the feeling. 

The front door creaked open and Himchan stepped into the dimly lit living room of their once cozy, peaceful home. There was an unsettling aura of disdain in this house now, echoing from the room farthest down the hall where a battle had taken place a single night before. Junhong kicked off his sneakers in the doorway, head bowed as he crossed the threshold, and the door closed behind them, locking in the melancholy energy of a family torn apart. 

“You have Yongguk?” Junhong asked quietly, his voice mousey and mumbled as if he were afraid to ask given Himchan’s almost certain bad mood. He was right to be worried. Himchan wasn’t so fond of the idea of both of his children risking their lives to protect a human, especially when he hardly expected such a thing from Junhong until just last night. He was stupid to go out into the sunlight, to even risk going out when the sun was near rising, especially for the sake of a human that surely would try to kill him had it not been in immense shock and distress at the time. 

“Temporarily,” was his only response. His children had a way with interfering with what they didn’t agree with, and he wasn’t about to let such an instance happen again. Junhong shifted uncomfortably, muttering, “Himchan, this isn’t right.” Himchan bowed his head slowly. He knew. Over a hundred years of life would dictate that he knows what’s fair and unfair in the world. But things weren’t fair for humans nor vampires, and he would do everything he could to end these hysterics and bring his family back to a calm situation. With Daehyun in his current state and the VED knowing Junhong’s face, there was too high a risk in letting Yongguk live. The fact that he was giving him a chance at all was beyond his comfort levels, but perhaps he was too soft on Junhong and Daehyun’s empathy. 

“Why isn’t it right, Junhong?” he quietly asked, walking into the kitchen with exhausted steps, twisting on the water with a push of his elbow and rubbing his hands together under the stream, watching the flow tint with red, watching the thick, crimson flakes melt off of his skin. He could predict the answer, but he wanted to hear it. 

“This. All of this from the very start. Taking Youngjae at all wasn’t right, and everything since has been-” Junhong paused, and Himchan pinpointed the moment that he realized that things just weren’t that simple. Everything that they had done was for their own safety. Denying Jaehwan of his magica would’ve resulted in the elder’s fury, and everything since then had been a matter of protecting themselves from the consequences. This was the finale, the human in the other room. Whether it was fair on the hunters or not was none of their concern, and even if it was, it couldn’t be helped. 

“Do you understand now?” Himchan sighed. “From the start, we had no choice. It would’ve settled things to just give Youngjae to Jaehwan and move on, but you and Daehyun wanted things to be fair. In trying to make good of something that had no good outcome, things only became more complicated. There’s no saving everyone, Junhong. That isn’t how this world works.” 

“It isn’t fair,” Junhong mumbled, having sunken into the couch, knees brought up and held between his arms. “It’s my fault, isn’t it…? If I didn’t do anything then no one would be this hurt.” 

Himchan shut off the water, watched the last of the red swirl down the drain, wondering when the strength would return to his bones when it took so much energy in this moment just to grab the towel and dry his hands. “You didn’t know better, but now you do. That’s where eternal life has its benefits. You learn, you adjust.”

The room fell silent once more, the quiet lasting for nearly a full minute as Himchan drew from drying his hands to clenching the towel between his fingers. Finally, Junhong asked, “Daehyun’s in his room, right?” 

“Mine. I wanted to watch him to make sure he didn’t turn for the worse.” Himchan sighed, finally throwing the towel back onto the counter and dragging himself from the kitchen. “I know there are a number of bitten vampires out there, they don’t necessarily have the best reputation. But I’ve never met one before, and I couldn’t have assumed that he’d fall ill like this.” Junhong nodded sympathetically, but the sorrow was deep in his eyes. Daehyun was his older brother, the one who’d always urge him to leave the house, the one who’d always support and uplift him. When would things go back to the way they used to be? Would they ever? 

“I’m gonna go check on him. Yongguk’s in there too right? I won’t do anything bad, I just want to talk to him.” Junhong lifted himself from the couch, but paused when he realized that Himchan had every intention of following him to the bedroom rather than letting him go on his own. “Himchan, I’m not going to do anything,” he sighed.

“I know, but given last night, I have to be care-”

A knock sounded at the front door, loud and confident, and both of the vampires froze. No one would be knocking, unless… except… 

“Junhong, go to your room and don’t come out no matter what you hear,” Himchan demanded. The younger froze, wide, pink eyes flickering between the door and Himchan, the room behind him and back to the door. “Go!” Himchan hissed, and it was enough to make the decision. Junhong hurried across the living room, and the door to his own room shut. Only after Himchan heard the click of the lock did he pace the room, gather himself, double check that he’d rolled up his sleeves enough to cover the bloodstains, and open the door. 

With no attempt on a smile, he blinked at the people before him. 

“Chanyeol, Baekhyun, Sehun, I didn’t expect to see you three here so early.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m really super sorry for shorter chapters and longer breaks between them! Life has been really hectic lately, but updates should return to normal in late November :( For now, I’ve wanted to dedicate my full focus to this story when writing so that it can be the best quality and I’ve been too distracted for that. I’m really sorry again! But for now, what do you think? We’ll see Yongguk’s side of things in the next chapter, so please look forward to it. Thank you for being patient with me. Take care.


	37. Breathe

The floor of the cage was cold in the drafty room, and all Yongguk could think about was how Youngjae had spent over a month in this cramped space, how they could have possibly gotten him out sooner. Youngjae, Jongup… He was worried for them, for how they were fairing. Had the vampire Himchan already given them the promised warning? Had such a warning in and of itself been a lie? He had no way of knowing, and that was more confining than the space he was currently in. Pressing two fingers against each of the tattoos on his wrist, yellow and green, he breathed softly. Youngjae’s heartbeat was slow, steady, he was sleeping, which he likely needed to be after such a horrible experience. Jongup’s was racing and that was concerning. Himchan said he was probably with Junhong. Yongguk could only hope that he wasn’t in danger, but again, he had no way of knowing.

The room was messy in all that it was clean. A vase was shattered, a picture frame was broken on the floor beneath where it once hang. The bedsheets were crinkled and Yongguk’s head shot up as a soft groan echoed through the room, as the sheets shifted more under Daehyun’s disettled movement. The vampire’s blonde hair was disheveled, there was a sheen of sweat on his forehead that the hunter could see clearly from the across the room, and he hadn’t opened his eyes once in the entire time Yongguk had been locked up. 

The rope around Yongguk’s wrists were grinding at the skin underneath, and he’d wasted the time away thinking of an escape route for when Himchan brought him to the other vampires without any use. He didn’t know the circumstances well enough; Would he be blindfolded? Would he be conscious when they were heading that way? Surely Himchan wouldn’t promise him a possible escape and give him no way to actually go. Or… would he? Vampires couldn’t be trusted, especially this one, and Yongguk scowled, gritting his teeth upon realizing that he was being stupid in considering that Himchan’s mercy could be valid. 

Daehyun shifted again, and Yongguk wondered what the hell was wrong with him for the fifth time within the hour. He hadn’t considered what would happen if a vampire bit another vampire, but he would have never guessed that it would have such a negative effect. 

The quiet pressed on, the air vent’s monotonous hum hardly soothing, and Yongguk sighed, worn and wilted. With too much to consider, his mind was drawing blank. With too much to worry about, he curled into himself, returning once again to his original concern. Youngjae had spent months in this cage, alone and scared. Surely he himself deserved this, being enclosed in the same space, for letting Youngjae be captured in the first place, for not saving him quickly enough. Would they be okay without him? Without a way to escape, his fate was no longer in his own hands. 

Would they be okay..? What was happening now outside? Was Jongup still with Zelo? Was Youngjae being treated? A distant knock on a distant door snuffed out his worries, and Yongguk sighed, sitting up and stretching as much as he could with tied hands. If worst came to worst, he would leave them behind like he promised never to do. He couldn’t pitifully wallow like this, he had to think of an escape. Biting his lip, he shuffled until his back was facing the rest of the room. There was a sizeable piece of shattered ceramic from the vase that had fallen in the chaos. If not a weapon, it was a tool that he could use to slit at the ropes, and he could use anything in this moment. 

Stretching backwards, he almost groaned as his achy muscles complained, as his shoulders hit the bars behind him and he felt around the carpet blindly. There was conversation in the living room and that concerned him, given that Daehyun was here and Himchan had no one else over (as far as he knew) when Yongguk came to. Biting his lip he stretched a little further… There! Grabbing the vase’s shattered piece with the tips of his fingers, he dragged it closer until he could take it fully into his hands. It felt as it had looked, dull on one side, drawing into a sharper point in almost a knife-like fashion. Immediately he awkwardly drew it downward along the ropes and felt just the slightest give. This was something, and as long as he had enough time to break free of these ropes, he would have a chance. If all else failed, he would die. 

 

But he’d fight tooth and nail beforehand. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I didn’t expect to see you three here so early.” The discomfort behind the words couldn’t have been disguised even if he’d tried, which he didn’t. The three vampires on his porch were hardly welcome; If Himchan had any say he might’ve just locked the door and pretended that the home was empty, not like that would’ve worked. Predators were masters at sensing prey after all, and Yongguk’s scent even from the back room wasn’t one that he could hide. Baekhyun especially expressed a carnal interest, his eyes sparkling, his tongue dragging across his bottom lip. 

“Himchan,” Sehun growled, opposingly stone-faced. “Tell me what the fuck is going on.” 

It was clear that they weren’t completely in the dark, which was inconvenient but not surprising. Jaehwan disappears, so he goes to the house of the vampire who Jaehwan last mentioned interacting with. The fact that he brought a party meant that he was already suspicious, but that suspicion would only grow upon smelling a human in the home, that and the traces of Jaehwan’s scent that lingered in the blood Himchan couldn’t scrub out of the carpet. Himchan had spent the past hours wondering how the hell he’d pull this off, deciding that as long as he could get Yongguk to Suho, to any one of the twelve children that would be looking for their master, things would be manageable. He could give them the hunter, preach that he watched the man slaughter Jaehwan in his own home, throw some pitiful act about how his children were injured to explain why neither of them had come with him, and get out before they had any doubts. 

However, that plan was now gone; he’d taken too long waiting until nightfall. He hadn’t suspected that they would be this suspicious this soon and now he didn’t have a cover story. 

The best way to lie was to keep things as close to the truth as possible. Keeping this close to heart, Himchan released a slow breath and stepped outside. None of the three budged, not even as he closed the front door behind him, not even when he came two inches from stepping on the toes of Sehun’s boots. 

“There was a fight in my home yesterday. One of my children told those hunters about the magica and they came to save it,” Himchan began slowly, tracing his words as they flowed from his lips. Chanyeol rested a hand on his hip, cocked an eyebrow upwards in interest. Baekhyun stared at the door behind Himchan, likely still locked onto the fascinating scent coming from inside the house. Sehun resembled a gargoyle in his daunting stillness, and he was the one Himchan would have to work the hardest to convince. After a moment of silence, Chanyeol muttered, “Oh?” Himchan nodded with a low hum, eyebrows creasing under stress that he didn’t have to fake. 

“Jaehwan was just about to take the magica to the feeder house, literally had just glamoured it, and they kicked the damned door open.” Himchan pointed to the hinges of the door, how the middle one was bent, to the scuff on the panels. They seemed to believe this much and he relaxed just slightly upon realizing that getting out of this, at least temporarily, was possible. “They came in with guns blazing, and we fought.” 

Sehun was growing impatient, Himchan could read it on his face, and so he hurried his story. “Needless to say, my house is trashed, the magica was taken away, Jaehwan left to tend to his wounds, and, I unsuspectingly captured the leader of the hunting party that’s been messing with this city’s covens.”

“Jaehwan didn’t return to his home, his feeders haven’t seen him since he came here,” Sehun barked, and Himchan allowed his brow to crease with concern. 

“What do you mean?” he asked uneasily. “I mean, he didn’t actually tell me where he was going but his chest was cut rather deeply, I assumed he was going to rest until the wound closed. It shouldn’t have taken more than a few hours with his healing capabilities…” 

Sehun scoffed. “I mean what I said. He never came home, and I doubt that he stayed out all day…” the man’s voice trailed off as he too was now peering at the door behind Himchan, who’s stomach dropped even before the demand was said. “Let us in.” 

 

“Do you not believe me? If he was here you’d be able to smell him. Have you even tried calling him?” Himchan drew out his cellphone, about to press for Jaehwan’s number before Sehun was grabbing the device from his hand and throwing it to the ground. Himchan’s blood went cold. They had to be really sure that something was wrong if they were this insistent. He couldn’t let them see Daehyun in the state that he was in. 

“Let us in the fucking house, I know something’s up,” Sehun snarled, and Himchan raised his hands in defense. “You’d better hope the screen isn’t shattered,” he mumbled, picking the phone up and inspecting for damage before slipping it back into his pocket. With tension throbbing through his chest, he threw open the front door and stepped back into his home. 

“I’ll make some tea,” he started, the three were already marching into the living room. Chanyeol fell onto the couch, Baekhyun reluctantly following, but Sehun stayed standing. “This place looks like shit,” he muttered, Himchan only sighing as he made way into the kitchen. He had to be careful about this. “I told you, they destroyed the place when they came through. It took me forever to clean up the blood, you know Junhong is sensitive to the smell.” 

“Where is Junhong anyway?” Baekhyun asked, eyes scanning the torn armchair across the coffee table. Himchan noted the vampire’s nose twitch and bit his lip, pulling the kettle of blood-infused tea he’d prepared for Daehyun off the stove and pulling four cups from the cabinet, filling one with the warm tea and pushing it away from the others. “I sent him after the hunter and the magica that escaped. Daehyun managed to get shot a few times, so he’s resting in the back room. I was about to follow after Junhong when you three showed up.” 

Baekhyun nodded with a soft ‘ah,’ and his eyes lit up as Himchan carefully carried the tea out on a serving plate, taking his own off and passing the other three over. Baekhun and Chanyeol immediately grabbed a cup, but Sehun stayed rooted to the floor. “Sehun?” Himchan asked carefully. 

“Something’s wrong…” the other vampire murmured, though the conflict was now visible in his eyes.

Himchan only nodded, sighing as he fell into the torn armchair and sipped at his tea. “What’s wrong is that Jaehwan is missing, and we need to figure out where the hell he went. Is his phone off or is he just not answering?” It was off. Himchan knew this because he shattered the thing and buried it with Jaehwan’s remains miles from here. 

“Off,” Chanyeol murmured, distress evident in his eyes as he took a long sip. 

Sehun shifted on his feet. Himchan motioned towards the couch, artificial sympathy laced in his eyes. “Sehun, we’re all exhausted. Have a seat and we can discuss this properly.”

The room fell silent, and Yongguk’s heartbeat could be heard from the bedroom. It was a miracle that all three of them had prioritized Jaehwan’s whereabouts over the live human in the other room, but perhaps their loyalty would benefit Himchan this time. The tension was made of strings tying them all together, to Jaehwan, to the house, to the human, and finally Sehun sat. Himchan nodded as the elder took the remaining cup of tea and took only a small sip, placing the ceramic back down on the plate a little more harshly than Himchan would’ve liked. 

“What did Jaehwan last say to you, or do?” Sehun asked slowly. “How injured was he?” 

“From what I could tell, he’d taken at least four slashes to the chest. The human he was fighting with had runes tattooed all over its body. I’m sure they assisted it in doing that kind of damage, though even being there I could hardly believe that Jaehwan took so many hits. The tattooed human escaped with the magica, though I managed to knock out the leader and lock it up. That’s the heart you can hear beating, and I fully intend to give it to Jaehwan once we find him.”

Baekhyun’s eyes fluttered, Chanyeol rested his head on his hand. Himchan continued. 

“Either way, Jaehwan looked worn down. He told me to hold the human until he returned, that he’d be back soon. And that’s it. I assumed ‘soon’ was approximate, so I wasn’t really worried until you three came here asking about his whereabouts. It’s only been a day after all.” 

“Hm,” Sehun muttered, head slowly nodding downward. Only a little longer…

“I spent the day pulling bullets from Daehyun’s chest, so forgive me if the time passed quickly from my perspective. I’ll go find Junhong, see if he managed to get the magica back, and-”

“That’s what’s weird,” Sehun mumbled tiredly. “I swear I smell Junhong in the other room…” 

Shit. 

Junhong’s scent isn’t strong, it’s never been strong because he hardly drinks enough blood to sustain himself. Knowing this, Himchan figured it would be enough to just distract them, to keep them focused on Yongguk’s scent, on Jaehwan’s, on the conversation, on anything else. “I think you’re hyperfocusing. Maybe he’s on the porch already?” Himchan stood as if to go to the front door to check, and Sehun jolted to his feet as well, swaying immediately and collapsing to the couch. Baekhyun had slunked over onto Chanyeol’s shoulder, Chanyeol was snoring softly, and Himchan noted the instant that Sehun realized what the hell was going on.

“You… Himchan you fucking-” he spat quietly. Himchan narrowed his eyes. 

“Sleep well, Sehun.”

Immediately after saying this, Himchan bolted to the bedroom, startled but hardly surprised to see Yongguk picking at the lock with the thin part of his belt buckle, hands free and rope loose on the ground. “Get out if you know what’s good for you,” Himchan gasped out, locking the door right as something thunked hard against the other side. It was a wonder that Sehun hadn’t passed out yet, and Himchan could hear furious yells of his name from behind the scraped wood. 

“Fucking let me out then!” Yongguk growled, but Himchan was busy, too focused on another life that was far more important than this human’s. Daehyun was still, sleeping restfully, he’d have to carry him. Grabbing his phone from his pocket, he dialed Junhong’s number. The younger picked up without a word, and Himchan sputtered out, “I need you to run. Sehun’s distracted, the others are asleep. I need you to leave your room and flit as fast as you can to anywhere you can feel safe. I’ll call you again and we can meet up tomorrow night, but he’s going to be chasing me and I don’t want you to get caught if he catches up.” 

“Himchan-” Junhong whispered from across the line, scared, confused, overwhelmed. There wasn’t time. “Junhong, trust me I will not leave you behind. He knows you’re in that room, you have to run.” The doorknob rattled and Himchan ended the call, throwing his phone onto the bed and grabbing a backpack from the closet, stuffing it with clean clothes and throwing it over his shoulder. 

A click echoed through the room and he froze, only to realize that it didn’t come from the door. Sighing in relief, he turned to Daehyun, throwing the blankets off of him even as Yongguk crawled out of the cage, legs stretching quickly, eyes darting frantically. 

“Go out the window,” Himchan demanded. “If you’re going to live you have to go now.” 

Yongguk didn’t think twice. He rushed to the window, throwing it open as Himchan threw Daehyun’s limp arms over his shoulders, about to drag him out of the bed when… boom. 

The door flew from its hinges, slamming against the opposing wall, and Sehun was a bull staring at a red flag as his red eyes locked onto Himchan in the middle of the room. Everyone froze. A split second decision, and Himchan was the first to move. “Take him,” he gasped, spinning and practically throwing Daehyun into Yongguk’s arms. The human stumbled backwards, slamming his back against the windowsill. The night air blew in as Sehun took a wobbly, drunken step forward, the sleeping medication only having partially taken effect with how little he drank.

“What? No!” Yongguk argued, but Himchan was frantic. “Fucking take him or I will let this vampire tear you to shreds right after me,” he barked. Yongguk froze, staring between Sehun and Himchan with wide, calculating eyes. Finally, he made his choice. Lifting Daehyun’s limp form up with difficulty, he slung the vampire right out the window, Himchan wincing at the thunk of his child’s body hitting the ground outside. 

“You fucking owe me for this,” Yongguk breathed, hoisting himself up to jump next. 

Himchan took a step back as Sehun took another forward, slowly backing towards his dresser where he kept the gun he’d use to keep his hands clean. “I can pay you back when I come for him, now go.” 

With a leap, Yongguk disappeared, hitting the ground. Himchan could hear the shuffling even as he yanked open his dresser drawer and whipped out his gun, could hear their footsteps right as he heard Junhong’s door fly open and his other child bolting away. In the end he would be the scapegoat, and it was all too ironic. Sehun stumbled, nearly fell, gathered himself before charging head on, yelling out something unintelligible. Himchan raised his gun. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The machine beeped slowly, a sound that was so familiar he hardly even heard it at first. Never had he been so relieved to find himself in the medical ward. 

Youngjae shifted as consciousness blossomed slowly through his body, as feeling returned to his legs, then his fingertips, as the darkness behind his eyelids illuminated just slightly under the heavy white lighting. He’d woken up a few times since… whenever he’d arrived here, but not enough to actually open his eyes. Exhaustion was thick in his veins, his lips were dry enough that he could feel how cracked they were just by pressing them together. It felt like both forever and minutes ago that he was staring into Jaehwan’s red eyes before everything went black. 

But he was in the medical ward. Not in that cage, not in a feeder house, unless feeder houses had medical wards in them. The thought unsettled him enough to blink, to open his eyes and confirm, and Youngjae sighed upon noting that this was absolutely the medical ward in the VED and not within the hold of a coven. He was safe, somehow. 

For three minutes, he laid there taking in the freedom. He was safe. As nauseous and weak and sore as he felt, he was safe, and this was instinctually enough to mask any other concern he’d have if he could think just a little clearer. He wasn’t worried about clarity though. Mostly, he was worried about how dry his mouth felt. 

“Hello…?” he croaked out, wincing at the sound of his own voice. Surely it hadn’t been that long since he’d last talked, had it..? Immediately, a familiar face was rushing in. 

“Youngjae! You’re awake!” Soobin was a nurse who often scolded him for letting his fevers get bad, but she hardly seemed irritated now, relief dawned upon her face. “Hell, I thought you’d never wake up!”

“How long-” he coughed, coughed so hard that he choked, and she grabbed a cup of water from the bedside and lifted it to his lips. He swallowed it down until he was choking again, and she had to sit him up straight before his throat would relax. “Three days,” she said softly. “You’ve been asleep for three days.” 

It didn’t feel like that long, and knowing that so much time had passed was the stone that broke the dam. “Where are the others? Yongguk and Jongup?” he asked quickly, voice rough and painful but the questions absolutely needed to be asked. “How did I get here? Are they safe? The vampires, where are the vampires-”

“Youngjae, calm down. You just woke up, you need to settle-”

The machine was beeping rapidly, faster than before, he felt his body growing warm, then suddenly cold, an effect of the collar… The collar?! 

“Why is this thing still on me?” he asked desperately, reaching up and yanking at the white strap curled around his throat, pulling it hard enough for the material to drag against the bites on his neck, the pain numb in comparison to the anxiety rushing through his veins. 

“Youngjae, you’re panicking. It’s normal to panic after what you’ve been through. I want you to breathe-”

“Where are they? Are they safe? Where are they?!” He put his fingers to his tattoos and the mildest dose of relief swept through his system upon feeling two pulses before he realized that Yongguk’s heart was racing, something was wrong. 

“Where is Yongguk, tell me that he’s okay-”

“Yongguk is missing!” she finally burst out. 

And everything pounding through his mind froze. Missing…? “What are you talking about…?” Youngjae asked, voice trembling just barely. Missing had to mean captured didn’t it..? Was Yongguk with the vampires that he himself had just evaded? Was his safety the reason that Yongguk was potentially in danger? 

“He’s missing. I’m so sorry, Youngjae. To be honest, I’m not even sure how you’re safe. We just found you on the porch step glamoured out of your mind, but Yongguk… he never came back.”

“He’s alive,” Youngjae whispered, attempting to comfort himself, failing. His heart raced and the fever burned in all that the collar was working to snuff out the flames. “He’s alive, I have to find him, I have to-”

“We have search parties out right now, but you can’t leave here in your state.” 

He’s alive, he’s alive. Youngjae repeated it as a mantra. Yongguk can’t die, he’s Yongguk for fuck’s sake, he’s not physically capable. 

“Where’s Jongup?” he finally asked, knowing no amount of arguing would convince Soobin to let him out of this bed to go after his leader. Her eyebrows knitted together, she fidgeted with her sleeve. “Well, that’s…”

“Where?” Youngjae whispered, voice nearly gone already and exhaustion wearing at his post-panicked mind. He had to know where they were, maybe Jongup was looking for Yongguk…

“Jongup is… here,” Soobin slowly said. “He actually just arrived an hour or so ago.” 

Youngjae nodded gently, trying to let himself calm down, only half succeeding. “Can I see him? Why isn’t he here…?” 

Soobin sighed, and she pulled the chair by the bedside a little closer to sit down. Her hands folded tightly together, and Youngjae closed his eyes, waiting for bad news. 

“Is… is he hurt? Is he okay?” he asked, hands shaking, breath weak. Soobin paused for a full minute as if trying to figure out how to respond, seeming to realize that there was no way to safely put the statement that she was about to make. 

“Jongup has been arrested for treason. He’s currently in the interrogation room.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, I’m so so sorry that it’s been forever. I hope this chapter makes up for it! I’ve actually been writing in segments throughout the month of November, so hopefully it seems all pieced together properly and not rushed. 
> 
> Again, I’m sorry that it’s taken so long. An update from me is that I actually met BAP in November, and got to hug Daehyun, Jongup, and Zelo. It was the best day of my life, and I was kind of numb for the entire week after (so I didn’t write anything that week). 
> 
> I’m really grateful to you guys who commented checking in on me and sending motivation and love towards this story <3 It means the world to me that this story is awaited so eagerly and I’ll keep trying to update frequently and quality no matter how busy my schedule gets. I’m excited to show yall the next part, so please look forward to it! Take care!


	38. Interrogation

Above most things, Junhong hated running. Whether running after prey or running from a predator, he hated being in the chase. Now was no different, and the ghost of his human-based instincts was causing him to gasp for air that he didn’t need. His feet slammed down on branches and branches until they turned into pavement… Where was he going? 

Tomorrow night… In retrospect to how much had happened in the past few days, it seemed so far away. Where would he hide away when the sun came up? There was always the shed in the park, but the anxiety that rushed through his stomach at the thought of going back there was overwhelming in and of itself. 

The forest was ten paces behind him, and the roads were worn in this area. Daehyun had brought him down this way once or twice to visit a club somewhere downtown, but Junhong had always refused to go any further than this, always letting his insecurity take over and backing out. He regretted it a little now, now that he barely knew his way around this city without a guide. 

His running slowed into a trot, then into a languid, dragging walk. Sehun was obviously not chasing him and he was obviously not in any immediate danger given that no one had caught up to him yet. As for where he was or where he was going, he had all night to figure it out. Determining that he was safe, his priorities turned elsewhere. 

Worrying over Daehyun, worrying over Himchan, Junhong found himself alone for one of the first times in a very long time, found himself questioning whether his family would make it through the night. The question almost brought him to tears, and he forced it away, but pictures of their faces always flickered back. He stared at the street lamps, counted them, but his mind began to drift to a moment where he’d chatted with Himchan under one of those lamps until the sun began to rise. He passed a flickering porch light and remembered bringing Daehyun to the hunter’s home, remembered…

The hunter’s home. 

And without a moment to spare, Junhong began to flit, began to run so fast that he could barely slow himself to hide when a car drove past. With tears in his eyes he darted towards the only place he could consider safe anymore, begging that the runes there were still turned off, begging that Himchan would be close enough to smell him out by tomorrow night if… no, when, he returned. 

The house was sad in comparison to its neighbors. The lights were all off, weeds sprouted in the garden where flowers were intended to be planted and a windchime lingered in eerie silence as no wind blew to sound it. Junhong sucked in his breath as he placed his foot on the first wooden step, waiting for pain and letting the breath escape as none came. Two more steps and he anxiously reached out his hand, hesitated, before grasping the doorknob. No pain. Relief flooded through his system, and he threw the door open, shutting it quickly behind him and letting his eyes fall closed for just a moment before opening them to analyze. 

The house smelled like human, it was more comforting in this moment than it should be. He could work out specifically Youngjae’s honey scent echoing from certain objects, a blanket on the couch, the rug in front of the television. Just like the chimes outside, the house was uncomfortably quiet, wrongly so, as if so much life and sound belonged within that had been torn away. He’d hoped for a moment that Jongup would be home, but it was probably best that he wasn’t. He doubted the hunter would react well to an intruder, especially if the intruder were him. 

Shoving even those thoughts aside, Junhong slipped off his shoes carefully and padded slowly into the kitchen. Dishes sat in the sink, washed but not put away, and he considered cleaning to keep his mind distracted before deciding instead to wander. The christmas lights that hung around the doors, the potted plants, the portraits, he knew they were all just things to attach runes to. Even still, they gave the house a cozy, mismatched atmosphere, an atmosphere of hominess that Himchan’s pristine, model home couldn’t express. A blanket on the floor that smelled so strongly of Youngjae that Junhong could hardly believe he hadn’t been home in months, a flat-screen television with a chip on the corner, he paced circles around the couch picturing Jongup living a human life here. 

The bedrooms were just as lonely as the rest of the house, and hoping that the hunters had no issue with paying a slightly higher electric bill, he flicked on the lights of each room he passed through for his own comfort. Yongguk’s room was bare, and the other room, the one that Youngjae and Jongup surely shared given the two beds and the scents, wasn’t any less so. Did they not have interests outside of hunting? No decorations were on the dresser or the walls, nothing stood out besides an old keyboard resting on the floor. He wondered if it was Jongup’s or Youngjae, imagined Jongup playing a beautiful melody and pushed that out of his mind as well.

His mind was tired, his body falling into line. The thoughts he couldn’t hold back flooded in, reminding him that Himchan was in danger, that Daehyun could by dying for all they knew and that he was cowering in the home of dangerous, vengeful hunters right now. He couldn’t feel the urgency no matter how much his mind tried to force it, couldn’t feel the push to leave over the exhaustion sinking into his bones. He grabbed the pillow from one of the beds, sniffed it and sighed as it smelled like soap and sweat rather than the sweetness of Youngjae’s scent that he was honestly getting tired of. Collapsing into Jongup’s bed and hoping with all of his heart that the human didn’t return home to see this, he pulled the pillow into his arms, buried his nose into it, and endured the needles in his throat daring him to cry. Would Daehyun make it? Was Himchan okay? Where was Jongup? Who would find him first? What… what if Himchan never came tomorrow night…? 

A tear slipped down and melted into the pillow, staining it in a small, damp spot. Junhong fell asleep and wondered in his dreams how they would escape what they’d gotten themselves into. Even when he woke, when the sun peeked through the windows and burned his skin a little, he didn’t know the answer. 

\----------------------------------------------------------

 

Room seventy-nine was one of only twenty rooms that Jongup hadn’t entered yet in all of his time as a VED agent. Beginning from all of the rooms in the medical ward, the supply warerooms, even the restrooms, every room was numbered to adhere to strict organizational standards that kept the VED’s self-sufficient structure intact. But then again, rooms seventy through eighty were only intended for prisoners, testing facilities, and classified information. Seventy-nine was an interrogation room. 

The door squealed open as if it hadn’t been used in a while. A room like this had little purpose after all, given that a vampire wouldn’t just sit and chat across a table from an investigator. It’s not like it would serve much of a purpose for him either, given that he couldn’t necessarily argue his own case with his hands behind his back and no interpreter in sight. With a thick resignation in his chest, he shuffled after the guard in front of him, stumbled with a push from the one behind him, and allowed himself to be half-shoved into a cool metal chair. 

There were three in the room besides him, one at the door, one by his side, one pacing around the thick, steel table to look him in the eye. He recognized two of the three faces but neither of them held his gaze, looking away quickly the moment he attempted to catch their glance. He was left staring eye-to-eye with a stranger, a man bulkier and taller than himself, a man with his own resignation showing thick in his eyes, a steel, solid glare of judgement. 

“You’re going to say you didn’t do it,” the man started, his voice gruff and torn. He leaned over the table like a lion leaning over its prey, and if Jongup weren’t hardened by his own experiences he might’ve cowered under such a heavy impression. Instead he sat with his chin up, watching the man cautiously, gritting his teeth and hiding the anxiety throbbing softly in his chest. 

“But Agent Hong here was there to see it all.” 

Jongup allowed his eyes to follow the man’s gesturing hand, followed it like a trail to the figure standing guard at the door who avoided his gaze once more. He was quickly shaken back into focus by a loud bark of that gruff voice, eyes locking once again with the dark stare and furrowed brow of a leader. 

“You were found hiding out with a vampire, and when asked to step aside you not only refused, but made to attack.” 

He couldn’t say it wasn’t true because it was, and the guilt flooded into his gut as if a dam had been broken; He really was the traitor they claimed that he was. Pressing his lips tightly together, Jongup found his fingers closing around the rods of the backing of his chair, holding the cool metal as the subtle, subconscious whisper to get out, to fight, to do something prodded at his mind. 

Did he deserve this interrogation, the sentence they surely would bestow upon him if he admitted his guilt? He’d turned on his own for the sake of a vampire, and the thought of it alone disgusted him beyond measure until he remembered that that vampire was Mul. It shouldn’t have mattered, but Mul was his only friend outside of his family, Mul was Junhong who had taken him out of a practical warzone just hours before the agents found them, who had saved him. It had to be fair that he would be punished for this, but why didn’t he feel that it was? Revenge against vampires, justice for humankind, a duty to serve the agency, when it did all become so shallow…?

“I’m disgusted by your actions, Agent Moon. Or, I guess I should just say Moon Jongup, since you’re hardly an agent now. Unless you can come up with a miracle explanation I doubt you’ll find yourself in a very comfortable standing. Siding with a vampire…” the man nearly spat, the utter hatred radiated from his eyes, and Jongup deserved every ounce of it. “How the hell could one of our best agents fall so hard.” 

He didn’t know. He was disgusted with himself too, and if it were just that, the guilt and the disgust, Jongup would’ve absolutely pronounced himself guilty. 

But it wasn’t just that. 

He didn’t know if Youngjae would be okay, he didn’t know if Yongguk was still with the vampires or not, and with a quick, subtle swipe of his fingers to his wrist he knew they were both at least alive. He needed to clear things up with them, they couldn’t wake up to be told, without any other information, that he’d betrayed them. And Junhong… There was too much left for him to do to rot away in a jail cell. 

“Now we’re going to let your hands free and you’re going to be decent and keep them to yourself. Any act of retaliation or resistance and we’ve got the all clear to beat the living shit out of you. I doubt even you could take the three of us down, so be smart.” The man’s hostile voice nearly echoed through the barren room, and Jongup narrowed his eyes. The guard beside him was however contrastingly gentle when taking his wrists and fidgeting with the cuffs, and Jongup looked up to make eye contact with a person he’d been on at least five missions with, a person he’d fought with and cried with. In his eyes were sympathy, apology, confusion, hurt, and Jongup found himself tearing his gaze away as the guilt flooded again. 

As his hands came free he let them fall lax in his lap, let his shoulders fall and his head bow for just a moment before he straightened up again and signed, ‘Is there an interpreter?’ and despite no one in the room actually knowing what he’d said, the point was easily drawn across. The pronounced man sighed, as if he’d hoped that the question wouldn’t be asked. “Is that really necessary?” he grumbled, but still turned and marched out the door. The quiet that lingered in the moments he was gone was thick, difficult to breathe through. The two remaining guards shifted on their feet, as if not sure what kind of conduct would be expected in this situation. Moon Jongup was more than a comrade, he was an example for the most of them, a show of what kind of hunter would succeed and survive. And now he was being declared a traitor. The bitterness of the situation was within them all, not just the person under fire. 

“If it means… anything…” The guard by his side whispered, “I don’t think you’re guilty.” The other guard, Agent Hong, bit his lip tightly, eyes darting to the floor. The other continued, slowly, cautiously. “Glamour is a crazy thing. I was found rolling in the dirt all on my own just a few months ago, dazed out of my mind. If… If that vampire really didn’t want to be killed, I understand how it would take the nearest hunter and…” 

Right, that was his play if he chose to get out of here with a clean state. Glamour in fact was a crazy thing, just crazy enough to explain his drastic actions. If he wanted to see Yongguk again, if he wanted to walk free again, he’d have to throw down his pride, trample it under a lie and roll onto his back for the asshole walking back into the room.

“Yes, stand across the table from him. Don’t want him getting any funny ideas,” the bulky guard guided, Jongup’s eyes narrowing as a slim, tall man hurried in. Jongup knew him, he was a very familiar face given that very few others in the VED actually knew sign language enough to communicate. Sanghyuk nodded to the guard and turned towards Jongup, smiling sadly before signing, ‘You really got yourself in a mess.’

“Hey!” the guard barked, causing the interpreter to jump slightly and drop his hands. “I understand your little conversation, but he can hear just fine. You talk aloud, can’t have anything funny happening.” Sanghyuk nodded and turned back, the frown tight on his lips. 

“Jongup, you’re being accused of assisting a vampire and turning against your comrades. Your actions, whether intentional or not, caused a number of our comrades to die. Understanding the severity of this situation, I assume you won’t lie when I ask this next question.” 

If it were that simple, Jongup would be honest. The guilt was swallowing him, those people who died were all people that he knew, that he’d fought with before. If it were that simple he’d allow himself to be condemned for such a selfish choice, for helping Junhong over his own side. 

But it wasn’t that simple.

“Jongup, did you intentionally help that vampire?” Sanghyuk’s words were smooth with professionalism, but everyone in the room felt the rough weight of them. A pause passed, a pause that Jongup used to question his morals, his choices, everything that Yongguk had taught him and everything he’d been fighting for this entire time. Throwing it all away, just for the chance to see him again… 

But there was no other choice.

Jongup lifted his hands, inhaled slowly, and signed his response.

‘No.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone. I've been working on this chapter for a while and I'm still a little disappointed in it, but I'm going to post it since its been so long since there was an update. I hope you enjoyed it <3 I understand that it's a little short. This is because the next chapter has a lot going on, and I decided to split this one up so that it wasn't too long/too much going on in one sitting. Thank you for being patient with me. I have big plans for this story, so please look forward to it. Have a good night.


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